Rock Angel
by X- Deidara's lover -X
Summary: Her band doesn't show up so a band called 'Akatsuki' decide to help her out. What will happen when she gets back to school and what will happen to Akatsuki? And how do Haku, Kimimaro and Suigetsu come into all of this? Rated T for language and humour!
1. Chapter 1

**Rock Angel**

Disclaimer: I do not own anyone from Naruto, they belong to Mister Masashi Kishimoto!

Claimer: Yume and anyone else not from Naruto belong to me!

* * *

Chapter 1.

Behind the stage, a girl stood waiting with her guitar in one hand, the other pulling nervously at a blonde pigtail hanging by her shoulder. Feeling as though her stomach were performing back-flips, she could not help but let her eyes flicker frantically along the corridor of backdrops and wire-rigs. Of all the times that this could have happened, of course luck would choose now. The girl's eyes darted backwards and forwards like ping-pong balls around the area, not wanting to give up her search too quickly.

Hearing loud footsteps behind her, the girl snapped her head around; her eyes filled with hope and relief. Only, when she realised it was only one of the stage-crew walking past her she felt her shoulders sag heavily. Feeling that maybe now was the time to give up, she decided to give an ear to what the man with the clip-board was announcing,

"Okay, would 'Rock Gods' get ready to go on stage? It's three minutes to go!"

Wishing that she had not heard that, the girl groaned. At present time, she wanted nothing more than to bang her head against a wall and collapse in a pile of unconsciousness on the floor.

'_WHERE ARE THEY?_' She thought desperately. 'They' happened to be the rest of her no-show band. '_We're almost next! Where could they BE?_'

A small voice perked up from inside the girl's mind. A more logical voice, but also a more malicious and evil voice – a voice that she tried her very best to ignore because she did not like its way of thinking.

'_**Psshht. It's your f**__**irst big gig. They obviously got stage fright.**_**'**

'_That... doesn't really sound like them.' _The girl thought, trying to reason with herself,_ 'They forced me to join the band just so's they could practice for stuff like this.'_ She looked over her shoulder hopefully, hearing someone else approaching, but felt her heart drop when she saw it was just another one of the crew-members. Her fingers wrapped nervously around her guitar, _'Where are you, Ino?_'

'_**Like I said, stage fright. They talk big, but they're really just a bunch of cowards.**_**'**

'_They're not cowards._' The girl replied defensively, feeling her eyebrows furrowing awkwardly as her face tried to find the physical being in front of her that she could be arguing with. No, no one was there. Her eyebrows furrowed even more, but not out of frustration. They furrowed because the girl was arguing with her own brain - something only _she_ could manage.

'_**Why are you defending them? You know Ino hates you, anyway!**_**'**

If anyone had been walking by at the time, they may have seen a girl frowning at the wall, rolling her eyes as if someone were arguing with her.

_'But she's my cousin! I can't not like her-' _The girl shook her head, trying to set her eyebrows back into their usual positions as she attempted to focus on the bigger problem at hand_, 'But that's not the point! Shush! I need to figure out what I'm going to do.'_

_**'...'**_

The girl sighed heavily, running a hand through her hair in defeat. Her brain was right. Only yesterday had Ino told her to arrive at least two hour before the concert, so that their band could get one last practice in, but now, about twenty minutes before being called out, not one of the other band members had shown. So maybe... they had gotten lost? ...Yeah! That was probably it! Keeping this in mind, the girl began to search again with more vigour, leaving her guitar propped against a wall to do so. She had decided to check below stage, hoping that her band-mates had just gotten lost down there, and it was all a big misunderstanding.

Running along the narrow passage-way made using the stage's various backdrops, she was so busy trying to figure out how to get below the stage that she never noticed the person in front of her so accidentally crashed straight into them, causing both to fall to the ground in a tangled heap. For a moment the girl lay there in a confused daze, then when she realised the position she was in she looked down, shocked to see a boy with maroon-coloured eyes looking back up at her.

"Ah! Sorry!" she said in a fluster, trying to scramble back up to her feet as fast as her legs would let her. She had just been lying on the boy.

"Whatever, Blondie! Just get the hell off me!" the boy growled, shoving her backwards in an attempt to get her off faster. The girl's face flushed red; embarrassed for having crashed into him in the first place, then for lying on him afterwords. Today was not going well.

Now that she was back on her feet, very much disorientated, the girl remembered that there was no time to lose, but forgetting _why _there was no time to lose, she stumbled back from the boy and started to run back along the way she had come from, more preoccupied with getting away from the embarrassing scene she had caused. Of course, when she realised that her legs were moving but she was failing to go anywhere, her brain seemed to scream her back into the world,

'_**You're not moving, you idiot!**_**'**

Seeing that her feet weren't getting her anywhere, the girl stopped attempting to run and looked over her shoulder instead, noticing that her arm was being held out behind her. She seemed almost confused until she saw the boy whom she had just knocked over gripping at her jacket-sleeve. Oh, great. He looked like he wanted to talk.

"Where are you going in such a rush, Blondie?"

The girl tried to pull her arm free but the boy seemed to have a vice-like hold on her. Did this really have to happen now? She was in a rush.

"I'm looking for the rest of my band. We're on next and they haven't shown up yet." she said in a voice that seemed to echo annoyance.

"Oh," the boy let go of her arm, "Well if I were you, Blondie, I'd hurry up 'cause you've got about fifteen minutes left before you go on."

She had to refrain from rolling her eyes. Did he think she was stupid or something? SHE KNEW HOW AWFUL THE SITUATION WAS! SHE DIDN'T NEED REMINDING, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

"No, I know that...- And please don't call me Blondie!"

With this said, the girl started to run off again; ever eager to find the other members of her band, only the boy suddenly grabbed for her hand. She flinched at the hot contact against her skin. She had never been good with boys. Wanting to hurry the conversation along as fast as she could, possibly more because she wanted him to let go of her than anything else, she whipped her head back to look at him, desperation building up in the backs of her eyes. He seemed completely oblivious to it, and instead cocked his head to the side with a perfect smile – a smile that meant he did this all too often.

"What's your name, Blondie?"

Seeing that she would not get free without giving a name, she replied with a brief,

"Yume," she tried to pull away, but to no avail. "Now please let go? I'm in serious trouble."

The boy blew an annoyed puff of air out between his teeth then let go of her hand, dropping the smile from his face at the same time. Yume turned, not giving the boy a second glance, and ran off as fast as she could to where she had spotted a set of stairs leading to below the stage. As she ran off into the distance, the boy yelled at her with an annoyed expression on his face,

"Yeah! And I'm Hidan! Thanks for asking, you stuck up bitch!"

Once the girl was completely out of sight, Hidan crossed his arms almost sulkily over his chest, then, seeing as though he had nothing better to do, he stalked off towards a second set of stairs leading below stage, deciding to join up with the rest of his _own_ band. He only brought his arms away from his chest for a brief moment to flip off a crew-member when the guy asked Hidan what he was doing. That damn Yume girl had seriously pissed Hidan off. He was in a bad mood now. Fuck that.

Hidan stopped walking once he was in the right wing of the stage, then climbed down the wooden ladders to where his band were practising their opening song.

"Where did you go, yeah?" asked Hidan's blond friend as he strummed on his guitar, noticing that Hidan had finally shown up again. That idiot always wandered off whenever he felt like it. It was a downright pain at times. Hidan walked past the other members of his band and sat down on a large, slightly battered looking, red sofa; miraculously pulling out a bottle of sake to drink. He held the bottle up to his lips and gulped a mouthful, then held it away and answered,

"Tobi was annoying me so I went for a walk," He passed a quick glare on to the boy strapping his orange concert-mask over his face - he seemed oblivious, "I was busy looking at this girl's jugs and then this blonde bitch fucking fell on me." He swung the bottle around wildly, "Then she was like, 'O-M-G, MY BAND ISN'T HERE AND I'M ON NEXT!'" Hidan waved his hands in the air mockingly. "Then she ran off saying, 'I'm Yume, see you!'" He crossed his arms angrily, "She didn't even ask who I was!"

There was a quiet pause where no one spoke, then one boy; the one with long, raven-coloured hair, said in an attempt to try and calm Hidan down,

"She probably already knew who you were, Hidan. You _are_ part of Akatsuki, after all."

Hidan crossed his arms over his chest; sake bottle still in hand, and frowned,

"That's not the point, Itachi. It's called being fucking polite."

At this, the other band-members couldn't help but laugh - Itachi included. Before he had a chance to reply however, the blond on guitar interjected first, in-between laughs,

"Hidan, don't be a hypocrite. When have you _ever_ been polite, yeah?"

"Fuck off, Deidara."

The blond smirked triumphantly. It amused him when he managed to get Hidan all riled up; especially before a show - it usually meant he'd end up throwing something big and painful at the crowd. Itachi, the only _moderately_ sensible one of the group, ignored the conversation between his fellow band-members and decided, instead, to listen to the music being played above him. He absent-mindedly drummed his fingers on his guitar to the beat of the song. As he did so, and as he watched the boy in the orange mask test out his drum-kit, an idea suddenly formed in his mind. It was about something Hidan had said earlier; during his rant. The girl with no band. He turned to the still-yelling Hidan, ignoring the fact that he was swearing every second word, and asked inquisitively,

"What was this 'Yume' girl like?"

Hidan - dragged from his argument with Deidara - looked at him and made a sour face.

"One word. Bitch."

The only boy not mentioned thus-far, a red-headed boy standing behind his keyboard, pointed out with a smug smile on his face,

"Hidan, that's not even remotely helpful. You call every girl you meet a bitch," he sighed, seeing Hidan's face starting to heat up, "Elaborate."

Hidan, his jaw tight for a moment, looked at the red-head - his so called _friend _- then started to let very colourful language pass out of his mouth. Two seconds later and the very same colourful language was now directed at a different target; a target with short, spiky, dark brown hair, holding a sake bottle in his hand - _Hidan's_ sake bottle, to be precise. The person who had stolen it was presently hiding behind Deidara, yelling out in fear,

"Don't hurt Tobi! Tobi only wants to make sure Hidan isn't drunk before he goes on stage!" He threw his hands over his head, sloshing the drink around as he did, "Tobi is a good boy, please don't hit Tobi!"

Hidan rubbed his temples agitatedly. Nothing was worth listening to that whiny voice all day,

"Fine, so long as you shut the fuck up!"

The brown-haired boy dropped the sake bottle; sending it shattering into piece on the floor, then pushed past Deidara and ran over to Hidan; nearly suffocating him in a bone-crushing hug before Hidan even had chance to stop him,

"Thank you Hidan for not hitting Tobi!" A vein appeared on Hidan's forehead, "Tobi knows that one day Hidan will thank him when he's not in a rehabilitation centre for hopeless drunks!" Hidan's fist clenched, "Tobi also loves Deidara, Itachi and Sasori for letting Tobi in the band~! Tobi's never had friends like you guys before!"

"That's it Tobi, you're going to die!" Hidan barked, throwing Tobi off him and pouncing on him moments later. The other three sagged. Tobi just had to be so… so… well, so Tobi really.

Over the noises of Hidan yelling and Tobi screaming for mercy, Itachi's ear pricked up as he heard the final notes of the song above being played,

"Well Hidan, I suppose now you don't have to tell me what she's like. We can find out for ourselves."

Hidan looked up, his fist wavering above his head in anticipation to punch the masked-boy beneath him. His eyes narrowed,

"Huh?"

Itachi didn't reply; instead he picked up his electric guitar and walked up the wooden stairs to the back of the stage. Itachi had a bad hunch about this girl's band. He was going to see if he was right. Moments later, after Hidan had been dragged off of Tobi, the rest of the band-members followed up the wooden stairs; Deidara and Hidan with their guitars, Sasori with his keyboard and Tobi - with the help of the bodyguard, Kisame - with his drum kit.

At the front of the group Itachi looked around, trying to decide which wing the girl would be going on stage from. He looked about, then in the corner of his eye he spotted someone stood on their own with a guitar in the far wing. It was a girl, her blonde hair in pigtails, her body dressed in a gothic outfit that she was obviously not happy to be wearing, and a facial expression that was a mix between worry, nervousness, rage and sadness. This was obviously the 'Yume' girl Hidan had been talking o-so-sweetly about, and it was also clear to him now that this girl's band had not shown up.

As Itachi picked up the pace, leading the rest of his band across the back of the stage to the far wing, the announcer's voice echoed from the front of thhe stage,

"Give it up for… Konoha Chibi Parade!"

The girl ahead of the small band took a deep breath, trying desperately to calm her nerves, then disappeared out onto the stage, supported by claps and cheers. Deidara, who walking just behind Itachi, watched the girl go on without anyone else and thought to himself,

'_What is that girl doing? They're going kill her out there, yeah!' _He picked up his speed, _'She'll be booed off the stage and will never be able to show her face in public again! She'll end up living in a small apartment above a chip shop with hardly any money and…-_' Deidara was always one to exaggerate.

When Deidara had finally finished his rant he noticed that Itachi had sped up again. He was up to something. The raven-haired boy cleared the back of the stage first, stepping out into the left wing, then he turned and walked over to the curtains that surrounded the edge of the stage and peered past one, looking on to the main-stage to see how the girl was coping.

(A/N: this is with Yume_. This is with Akatsuki_.)

Yume walked up to the microphone at the front of the stage and paused. Her stomach was in her throat and she felt as if she was going to faint from nervousness and embarrassment. She looked out into the crowd; there must have been over five-hundred people, all staring at her, waiting for her to do something. She put her shaky hands to the microphone and started to talk. Unfortunately for her, she was talking but her voice-box wasn't listening. The voice in the back of Yume's head started to try and calm her down…

'_**What are you doing? Say something! You'll be booed off the stage if you don't! You won't be able to go out in public ever again! You'll wind up living in a flat above…-'**_

_Itachi watched the girl struggling to speak then turned and walked away, heading over to talk to one of the crew members. As he did so, Deidara and Hidan took his place, watching the girl with curiosity. A few moments later and Itachi reappeared, a serious (well more so than usual) expression on his face._

"_Okay, the songs that her band are supposed to be playing are easy enough," Hidan turned, realising what Itachi was planning on doing, "They're only cover-songs. With one of them, Deidara, you will have to help with the vocals but the rest she will be fine with on her own, I believe."_

_The blond guitarist in question span on his heel, staring wide-eyed at Itachi - he did not like his sudden role in the plan, _

_"Are you crazy, yeah? I need to warm up first if I'm singing!"_

_Itachi ignored him, turning to talk to the other members instead,_

"_That girl's band is obviously not turning up any time soon, so I'm suggesting that we help her."_

_Hidan 'pfft' again. He crossed his arms childishly; the frown re-appearing on his face. He hadn't gotten over the fact that she hadn't asked who he was - he'd had his sexy smirk ready and everything! _

_"Why the fuck should we help her?"_

_Itachi raised an eyebrow. He used his finger to point over Hidan's shoulder onto the stage,_

"_Look, Hidan, do you really want to see tears in her pretty little eyes?"_

_The entire group looked back onto the stage. Hidan saw the girl stood at the microphone nervously, words not coming from her mouth and her eyes full of worry. He cursed in his head, _

_'**Stupid know-it-all Itachi; why does he have to go and-**' "Fine!"_

_Itachi smirked. He always seemed to win little arguments with the least amount of effort._

Yume could see the crowd was beginning to get impatient; they were starting to quieten down. Her mind had stopped ranting about how stupid she was, and was now trying to think of a good excuse to leave:

'…**Or you could say you need to use the bathroom… no that wont work either… erm, or how about you just run away screaming…' **

See what Yume had to live with every day?

_Itachi walked past the rest of the band, back to the front, then took a step towards the stage but was stopped by a hand on his chest. He looked up._

"_Sorry sir, but this part of the stage is off limits until it's your turn to perform."_

_Itachi looked the large security man, an eerie calmness filtering into his eyes. He said, his tone neutral, _

_"I'm sorry, you must have misunderstood me. My band and I are going on the stage whether you like it or not."_

_The security man, seeing he was about to have trouble, cracked his large knuckles, _

_"No, I don't think __**you**_ _understand. I 'aint letting you on this stage, mate. Not until it's your turn."_

"H-hi everyone, it's nice to s-see you all here."

The voice in Yume's head slapped its metaphorical forehead.

**'_You're doomed..._'**

"Look, I'm very, very sorry but my band…"

_Itachi sighed. He closed his eyes in contemplation. There was a pause where the security guard looked down at Itachi, and where the other members of Akatsuki stepped __**away**_ _from Itachi, then Itachi opened his eyes. He flickered his gaze behind him for a split second, then before the security-guard knew what was happening he had been pinned against a wall with Kisame the body-guard at his throat. The blue-skinned male turned his head slightly and called to the others, _

_"Get moving."_

_Itachi nodded and walked on to the stage._

Suddenly the entire stadium erupted with applause. Yume didn't understand why. She hadn't said anything amazing...- or had she? She couldn't remember; it all seemed to be a blur to her at the moment. The voice in the back of her head said quietly,

'**T-turn around, S-Stupid…'**

Yume let go of the microphone and turned, then wished she hadn't let go because she needed it for support. She could hardly believe it. Walking onto the stage was none other than Akatsuki; one of the best rock bands (in Yume's opinion anyway) of all time. Not only that, but they were all smiling and waving at her - Itachi included. As the other four boys set up their equipment, Hidan walked to the front of the stage, past Yume, and yelled into the microphone energetically,

"Hello Konoha! Are you ready to have a good time tonight?" As the crowd screamed their replies, Hidan bent down and whispered in Yume's ear, "What? You didn't think I would just let you die from embarrassment did you… Blondie."

Yume looked at Hidan momentarily, starstruck, then a little-light bulb in the back of her mind turned on.

'_**N-no way, that's Hidan! How the hell did you not recognise him when you fell on him?'**_

_'…'_

'_**Uh…hello? You okay?**_**'**

Yume was too busy ogling at Hidan to listen to her brain. He saw her reaction and smirked. Ha! He still had it! Grinning with triumph, he turned back to the microphone and yelled,

"Now, my little friend here seems to have misplaced her band so me and the guys are gonna' help her out; being the kind, sensitive, lovable, sexy people we are!"

More cheers came from the crowd. Deidara ran over to Hidan and whispered,

"I'll take it from here, yeah. Get your amplifier ready."

Hidan ran to the back of the stage. Yume watched him go then looked towards the new-comer. Deidara gave her a wink then turned his head and spoke into the microphone,

"Sorry for the delay, guys. We weren't expecting this to happen so please bear with us for a few minutes!" The crowd started to murmur so he added, "But as they say, 'the longer you wait, the better the result', yeah."

The crowd erupted again and Deidara laughed. So easily pleased. He turned and looked down at Yume,

"Right, so how good are you at singing, yeah?"

Dear god he was talking to her. She knew now wasn't the best time to ask for an autograph but...-

"Umm, I'm okay, I guess."

"Do you know all the words to your songs, yeah?"

Yume nodded her head,

"Mm-hmm."

"Great," Deidara rubbed Yume's shoulders, making her blush furiously, " 'cause now you're the lead singer, yeah!"

A moment of silence passed by, until…

"_WHAT_?"

"Shhh," He said, throwing one hand over the microphone. Yume's face had already turned pale. Deidara smiled, trying to reassure her, "It's okay! Me and the guys will be the music, all you have to do is sing, yeah."

"But…But I ca-" Deidara put a finger on her lips,

"Yes you can, I believe you can."

_'What does he mean, 'I believe you can'? he doesn't even know who I am!'_

_'**Shut up! He's complimenting you, what more do you want?'**_

Yume sagged in defeat. Deidara, seeing she'd made up her mind, looked at her with a serious expression for a moment,

"So are you ready to do this, yeah?"

Yume looked at the microphone-stand, and then past it into the crowd of people screaming and shouting incoherently to the Akatsuki members,

"I guess so."

By now the five boys had positioned themselves around Yume. Deidara's guitar, Itachi and Hidan were in a line behind her and stood behind them were Sasori and Tobi. Deidara smiled and handed her the microphone,

"When you're ready, just say the name of the first song."

Yume nodded. This was it; her big performance. She couldn't mess this up - for the sake of her band's reputation if not her own. Oh, the things she did for those guys. She took a deep breath, wrapping her fingers around the microphone, then said,

"The first song we're going to perform is…"

* * *

_Me: Hello world of fanfictioners! Meet my début story, Rock Angel! It's fun and madness with a li'l bit of lovin' along the way. I hope you're enjoying it so far, and please, KEEP READING! KEEP READING! I NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK, SO REVIEW!_

_Deidara: ...You forgot to take your medication again, didn't you?_

_Me: Uhhh... .. If I say yes, can I have a cookie?_

_Deidara: No, yeah!_

_Me: So, is that a yes or a no? ... I'm confused..._

_Deidara: It's a NO! Yeah!_

_Me: W-what?_

_Deidara: Just shush, Sarah. (Looks at reader) Hey. Deidara here, yeah. (Points at Sarah) You keep on reading while I slip her something. It's going to be safer for everyone._

_X-Deidara's Lover-X_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: The Akatsuki and everyone from Naruto belong to Masashi Kishimoto, and the songs belong to their respective owners.

Claimer: Yume and anyone you can't find in Naruto belong to me.

* * *

Chapter 2

"…Evanescence's 'Call Me When You're Sober'!"

The five boys prepared themselves and then, when Yume looked totally ready, Sasori played the opening note on the keyboard.

_'Don't cry to me.  
If you loved me,  
You would be here with me.  
You want me,  
Come find me,  
Make up your mind…'_

Deidara, Itachi and Hidan began to play the guitar solo_. _As they did, Yume glanced nervously into the crowds of people. They were shouting and screaming, clapping and whistling. Yume had to look away, feeling a lump building in her throat. She looked up at the dark ceiling, closing her eyes to try and calm herself - even though she could feel her fingers shaking on the microphone. Hearing the right part she took a breath and sang,_  
_

_'Should have let you fall,  
Lose it all  
So maybe you can remember  
Your self._

_Can't keep believing,  
We're only deceiving,  
Ourselves and I'm sick of the lies.  
And you're too late…_

_Don't cry to me,  
If you loved me,  
You would be here with me.  
If you want me,  
Come find me.  
Make up your mind…_

_Couldn't take the blame,  
Sick with shame,  
Must be exhausting to lose your own game  
Selfishly hated,  
No wonder you're jaded  
You can't blame the victim this time  
And you're too late…_

_So don't cry to me,  
If you loved me,  
You would be here with me  
If you want me,  
Come find me  
Make up your mind…_

_You never call me when you're sober  
You only want it  
'cause it's over  
Oh, It's over…  
How could I,  
Have burned paradise,  
How could I,  
You were never mine..._

_So don't cry to me,  
If you loved me,  
You would be here with me  
If you want me,  
Don't lie to me,  
Just get your things,  
I've made up your mind…'_

Yume finished the last note to very, very loud applause. She turned around to see the five boys looking at her, their eyebrows raised - Hidan's eyes were nearly falling out of their sockets and Tobi was clapping loudly along with the crowd. Yume smiled awkwardly, wondering what they were staring at. After a second of finding his voice again, Deidara said,

"Y-Yume. Your voice is… amazing, yeah!"

He didn't really have much time to say anything else because, since Yume felt her cheeks heating up from his compliment, she darted her head back to the microphone and said,

"O-okay, I hoped you liked it! The next song we're going to do is…"

oOo

By now the crowd was cheering and clapping again. Yume and Akatsuki had just finished their third song. Yume's heart-beat was still racing. It seemed as though after each song she'd finished, her stomach had flipped and she'd wanted to throw up, but by the next song she'd become too concerned with singing the right lyrics to feel sick.

'_Just two more songs to go…_' Yume thought to herself; her cheeks flushed pink from singing with as much force as she could muster. Her legs were still shaking a little from nervousness, though she'd noticed it was becoming easier and easier to stand on her own legs instead of supporting herself on the microphone stand with each passing song.

"Okay guys," she said - her voice almost free of its shaky nervous from before, "The next song we're going to play for you is 'Bring me to life' by Evanescence!"

Yume listened to the cheers then turned quickly when she heard the boys shuffling about behind her. Deidara had put his guitar down and was making his way towards her. Yume looked at him, her cheeks heating up again as she wondered what he was doing. He answered her unasked question when he came up along side her,

"I believe this song has some male vocals, yeah?"

Her cheeks flushed a dark shade of red,

"Y-you're going to sing with me?"

Deidara nodded, a smile on his face,

"Of course, yeah."

Another microphone was brought onto stage and Deidara took hold of it, gaining even louder cheers from the crowd when they realised what was going on. Making sure she was ready first, Deidara looked at Yume then turned and nodded to the rest of his group. Sasori nodded back and began to play his keyboard.

(A/N: Yume _this_. Deidara _**this**_**.**)

_'How can you see into my eyes;  
Like open doors?  
Leading you down into my core,  
Were I've become so numb.  
Without a soul,  
My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold,  
Until you find it there and lead,  
It… back… home._

_**Wake me up.**__  
Wake me up inside,  
__**I can't wake up.  
**__Wake me up inside,  
__**Save me,**__  
Call my name and  
Save me from the dark.  
__**Wake me up.  
**__Bid my blood to run,  
__**I can't wake up.  
**__Before I come undone.  
__**Save me.  
**__Save me from the nothing I've become._

_Now that I know what I'm without,  
You can't just leave me. Breathe,  
Into me and make me real,  
Bring… me… to life…_

_**Wake me up.  
**__Wake me up inside,  
__**I can't wake up.  
**__Wake me up inside.  
__**Save me.**__  
Call my name and  
Save me from the dark.  
__**Wake me up.  
**__Bid my blood to run,  
__**I can't wake up.  
**__Before I come undone.  
__**Save me.**__  
Save me from the nothing I've become…_

_Bring me to life.  
__**I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside**__.  
Bring me to life.  
Frozen inside without you touch,  
Without your love, Darling.  
Only you are the life among the dead…_

_**All of this time,  
I can't believe I couldn't see,  
Kept in the dark,  
But you were right in front of me.**  
I've been sleeping a thousand years,  
It seems.  
Got to open my eyes to everything…**  
Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul**__,  
Don't let me die here.  
_**There must be something more…**_  
Bring… me… to… life…_

_**Wake me up.  
**__Wake me up inside,  
__**I can't wake up.  
**__Wake me up inside,  
__**Save me.**__  
Call my name and save me from the dark.  
__**Wake me up.  
**__Bid my blood to run.  
__**I can't wake up.  
**__Before I come undone.  
__**Save me.**__  
Save me from the nothing I've become  
…Bring… me… to… life…__**  
I've been living a lie,  
There's nothing inside**_!_  
Bring…me…to… lifeeeee…'_

If Yume hadn't known the roof was firmly fixed down, she'd swear the crowd were about to blow it off. They were clapping and screaming and yelling, throwing empty bottles in the air and even throwing clothing on the stage.

After it had calmed down, Yume announced,

"Right! The last song I'm performing is-" the crowd fell silent. Yume was slightly surprised; she hadn't been expecting them to be listening to her so intently, "-Broken by Amy lee and Seether!"

As the noise grew again Deidara nodded to Yume then ran back over to his guitar, getting himself ready. She watched him go, puzzled, then ran over to him,

"Can't you sing the next one with me?"

He shook his head, looking sorry,

"I can't. I don't know the words to this song, yeah. Hidan's the die-hard Seether fan." He smiled, realising what he'd just said, "Go ask him to sing, yeah!"

With no time to argue, hearing the crowds starting to chant, Yume ran across to Hidan and asked him, "Would you sing this with me?"

"Why should I?" He said, gripping his guitar defensively. This gained him glares from the rest of the group. Yume's head sagged then - to Hidan's surprise - she looked up and gave him the biggest pleading-eyes she could muster,

"Because you're really kind and would do it for me… please?"

"Fine." He turned his head and huffed, "But it's not because I want to, it's because I think these lot will kill me if I don't." He gestured to the remaining four members of the band.

Yume grinned happily then walked back to the front of the stage, Hidan just behind her. When they were both positioned and the other members of Akatsuki were ready, they began.

(A/N: Yume _this. _Hidan _**this. **_Both _**(this.)**_ )

_**'I wanted you to know,  
That I love the way you laugh.  
I wanna' hold you high,  
And steal your pain away.  
I keep your photograph,  
I know it serves me well.  
I wanna' hold you high and steal your pain…**_

_**(Because I'm broken,  
when I'm lonesome  
And I don't feel right,  
When you're gone away)  
You've gone away,  
You don't feel me here any more...  
**_

_The worst is over now,  
And we can breathe again.  
I wanna' hold you high,  
You steal my pain away.  
There's so much left to learn,  
And no one left to fight.  
I wanna' hold you high and steal your pain…_

_**(Because I'm broken,  
When I'm open  
And I don't feel like,  
I am strong enough.  
Because I'm broken  
When I'm lonesome.  
And I don't feel right,  
When you're gone away…)**_

Sasori - the one with multiple instrument settings on his keyboard - started to play the violin solo out, giving Yume and Hidan time to catch their breaths. Yume wasn't the loudest singer in the world, and she was having a hard time trying to keep up with Hidan's powerful lungs. She was managing - just.

_**'(Cause I'm broken,  
when I'm open  
And I don't feel like,  
I am strong enough.  
'Cause I'm broken  
when I'm lonesome.  
And I don't feel right,  
when you're gone awa~ay...)'**_

Sasori and Tobi started on the instrumental. Yume gripped her microphone, looking down at the ground to steady herself - Her head was a little dizzy from singing so powerfully. Just one more verse left to sing though, and by gosh she was going to give it her all. She stole a glance to her right, seeing Hidan preparing himself as well. She looked ahead, watching the crowd waiting in excited anticipation. As far as her eyes could see there were people; jumping and dancing - enjoying listening to her singing. For a moment she was happier than she had been in a long time. It was then that she heard her cue to start singing. She took a deep breath,

_**('Cause I'm broken  
when I'm lo~onesome.  
And I don't feel right,  
when you're gone away...  
you've gone away…)  
**_

_**You don't feel me here any more...'**_

When Hidan finished and the band began to end the song, he grabbed hold of Yume with one arm, pulled her in and kissed her full on. When the song had completely ended and the crowd was - yet again - going mental, Hidan broke away and whispered in her ear,

"The crowd will love it."

Yume's first reaction was utter shock, then a sudden urge to hit Hidan extremely hard - though decided against it because they were on live television - and then the horrible truth dawned on her.

'_I-I just sang in front of hundreds- th-thousands of people… with Akatsuki… and I just got kissed b-by Hidan… -I'm going to be __**murdered**_ _by fan-girls. Oh great!_'

Just then the rest of Akatsuki came up next to Hidan and stood in a line with Yume, then Tobi and Deidara (who had purposefully jammed himself between Hidan and Yume) grabbed one of her hands each and raised them into the air. They all took a bow. Screams and yells drowned any words from being heard on the stage. When they had all bowed a further two times, the boys walked off stage, taking Yume with them; waving as they went.

When she had safely made her way down to the ground level, Yume's knees finally gave way and she fell to the floor. Tobi - ever the 'good boy' - helped her up and held on to her to stop her buckling again, then Yume asked - missing the fact Itachi had taken Hidan off to one side to talk to him,

"But… why did you guys help me? I mean seriously. You're really famous and I'm just… no one really."

Before anyone could answer with something that would obviously embarrass Hidan - though he wasn't really listening anyway - a tall, pale-blue skinned man walked up to the group and said to Yume,

"You're not a nobody any more, kid."

Before she could ask what he meant, Tobi took a tighter hold on Yume, almost suffocating her in a hug. He said chirpily, his face hidden by his concert-mask,

"Sorry Yume! Tobi and the others have to go back up on stage and perform." he added, making sure not to make her feel like she was being abandoned, "Wait for us here, 'kay?"

Yume managed to pull Tobi's arms from off her face and nodded; ecstatically happy that her idols wanted to keep her around. With that the guys walked off, heading back up onto the stage. The blue man stayed with her. He sat down leisurely on the sofa, then patted the seat next to him.

_'Well,_' Yume thought, _'nothing bad could happen... right?'_

A little uncertain about sitting down with a man whose skin was _blue_, Yume walked over and stood by the side of the sofa. She cleared her throat nervously. The man looked at her and laughed,

"I don't bite, you know."

Not wanting to seem rude, Yume gulped then moved to sit on the sofa next to him, still keeping her distance. When she was settled, the man looked at her, raising a hand to gesture,

"Answering your earlier question, the guys helped you out because, well, I mean who wouldn't help a lady in distress - famous or not? And anyway, I don't think you're a no-body any more."

Yume's heart hit her ribcage.

"W-what do you mean?"

He pushed his hand into his shirt pocket and pulled out a small screen, then held it out for Yume. There was a video of her performing alongside the boys that had just-in-so left her. When the clip ended, Yume realised that what she had just been watching was a news-channel - the news that she watched at home, and the news most other people at her school watched... the news her friends were probably watching…

'_Oh God..._'

oOo

Yume was sat on a sofa, her head in one hand, listening to Akatsuki play their songs from above her. Kisame had left a short while ago to watch them from the wings. They were playing amazingly - as always. The final song ended and Yume swore the ground was shaking beneath her. She heard footsteps only minutes later and then Tobi was sat next to her; arms wrapped around her neck as if his life depended on it,

"Hi Yume! Did Tobi do good?"

Yume clawed at his arm - loving the fact he was hugging her but needed the chance to breath,

"Yes, Tobi did good… now will Tobi please- please let go of me?" He did - a little reluctantly and only because three people glared at him for nearly suffocating a fan - and then, when the black and red dots had disappeared from Yume's vision, someone put a hand on her shoulder. Itachi of all people. She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with fan-girl love, so he asked,

"Would you care to join us for a meal now?"

"W-w-…" Her breath caught, "Y-yes, of course."

"YAY!" Tobi grabbed hold of her arm, wrenching her up from the sofa, then before anyone could stop him he ran forward through one of the doors, pulling Yume along with him - as ever the energetic one. The four remaining band-members, plus Kisame, sagged. There went the band's cool composure. The boys filed out through the door, leaving the crew-members to clear away their instruments for them. Seeing Tobi bouncing up and down just a little further down the corridor, trying his best to swing Yume about in the air, the boys sped up but held smiles on their faces. It had been a good concert after all. When Yume had been set free from Tobi by Kisame, the group made their way towards the main exit. When they arrived at the door, Kisame, who was at the front of the group, held his hand out to halt the others. He opened the door and peered outside. Yume saw three bright flashes then Kisame pulled his head back through the door with a dazed expression on his face; little stars in his eyes. Once he'd recovered, he said,

"The press is outside. Lots of 'em." He pulled out a mobile, dialled and held it up to his ear, "Hello? … Yes, could I get the decoys over here?"

Yume whirled around, hearing clattering and crashing. Appearing from the corridor they'd just been on, three figures were charging towards the group. She took a step back. The three figures ran to the group, bringing themselves to a halt in front of Kisame. He chuckled,

"You're getting quicker."

Kisame looked at Yume, and seeing her confused he told her, pointing at each boy,

"Okay these guy, dressed as Deidara, Sasori and Tobi will run out that way," He pointed to the door, "And then we'll leave through the back door at the other end of the building. We'll have to be fast because it won't take long for some of the smarter ones to realise it's not the originals."

Yume nodded, seeing the boys around her readying themselves for a quick sprint. Kisame opened up his phone again, "Okay... yeah... ... yeah, bring the limo round the back."

He put the phone down and then counted down from three. When he hit zero, the three decoys walked out of the front door to cheers and flashes. Almost instantly the rest of the group began to run. They sprinted as fast as possible down three corridors, down two staircases and came to an abrupt halt when, at the bottom of the second staircase they almost fell head-first into the back door. Yume nearly keeled over then and there, her chest burning.

'_Need...to go... to gym... more!'_

She put her hands on her knees and took a few deep breaths, trying her best to listen to Kisame as he relayed the next part of the plan. When he was done and everyone looked almost satisfied with what was going to happen, Kisame opened the back door and peered outside. Sure enough there was the limo, ready and waiting for them. He looked back at the group then motioned them to follow him outside.

They didn't go straight to the limo; that would be stupid. Just as Kisame had instructed, they ran over to a large bush and waited while Kisame checked for anything suspicious, then when he thought it was okay he told Tobi and Sasori to run to the limousine first. Yume watched them running, looking this way and that like rabbits trying to avoid a pack of foxes. She'd had no idea celebrities had to do stuff like this. She'd imagined they'd enjoy the constant attention of fans. Apparently not. When the pair had safely made it across the walkway and into the limo, Kisame sent Hidan and Itachi next. For the second time Yume watched them, laughing slightly at how casually Itachi made his way across compared to Hidan who was whipping his whole body about every five paces; his eyes narrowed and his hands raised defencively. They made it across successfully, then when the limo door had closed for the second time Kisame told Deidara and Yume to go, but before they left Yume asked him, realising he was going to be on his own,

"What about you?"

He smirked, amused by her concerned nature,

"Don't worry. No one's around, and even if they were I'm only the bodyguard; no-one will care about me."

_'I guess…'_

She looked away from Kisame, feeling a tug on her arm. Deidara looked at her and whispered, "Come on, yeah. We can't risk waiting any longer."

Yume nodded. She gave a quick wave to Kisame - who chuckled - then ran from the bush with Deidara; leaving the sense of security behind. It seemed to take forever to finally reach the limousine, but when Deidara threw his hands against the door Yume took a sigh of relief. They'd made it. Deidara opened the door, saying kindly, "Ladies first," stepping out of the way for her. Yume smiled; hiding the extreme fan-party going on inside her head - best. Day. Ever.

"Thanks," She bent down and stepped into the large, black limo. Just as Deidara was about to step into the vehicle behind her, he heard,

"Look! There's Deidara! The rest must be inside!"

Deidara, realising the paparazzi had found them, looked back to the bushes and called urgently,

"Kisame! Come on, yeah!"

The blue man appeared and began to run for the limo; the reporters approaching rapidly. Deidara yelled,

"Kisame! Move it! Come on, yeah!"

Kisame was only meters away from the car but as he tried to dive the last distance a hand latched hold of his leg. He turned, seeing three reporters holding onto him, their eyes hungry for gossip-stories. He let out a scream of utter terror.

"Kisame!" Deidara yelled. More members of the press arrived, dragging Kisame down into the middle of them as he gasped for air; suffocated by the dozens of questions and blinded by the flashing cameras. The blue man smiled weakly, "Go on without me… I won't make it."

Deidara watched Kisame struggling to stay above the pile of reporters and sighed sadly, knowing there was nothing more he could do, "Goodbye friend."

He closed the door of the limo just as more of the press jumped onto Kisame, sending him down, hiding his body from view completely. The limousine revved into life; pulling away quickly before any of the reporters tried to drag it down too. As it drove away, leaving the mob in a heap, Deidara turned to look at the rest of the group. They were all looking at him as if to say 'Are you being serious?' - minus Yume, who was just looking very confused.

"What just happened there?" She asked, looking around for an explanation.

Itachi replied, tutting at his blonde band-mate, "Deidara and Kisame were overreacting again."

Suddenly Yume heard crying. She looked at Tobi and saw he was sobbing his heart out, tears pouring down his face,

"K-Kisame's gone…"

Again everyone gave him a disbelieving look apart from Deidara; who moved over to Tobi and patted him on the shoulder,

"He will be dearly missed by us all."

Hidan rolled his eyes and hit them both over the heads,

"You idiots! We'll probably see him at the restaurant. He's not a fucking bodyguard for nothing!"

Yume couldn't help but laugh loudly at Tobi and Deidara's expressions; which drew the attention of most males onto her. She tried to quieten down, a small blush creeping onto her cheeks. This gained a hug off Tobi as he rubbed his cheek to hers, yelling childishly,

"Sooooo cute~!"

When Sasori had managed to pull him off Yume, the red-head said, holding onto the back of Tobi's shirt to stop him pouncing again,

"Where's your house, Yume?"

"Umm..." Oh damn, they'd changed their minds about taking her out for a meal after all. Oh well, she knew it was too good to be true, "Why do you ask?"

Sasori chuckled, passing Tobi's shirt to Hidan to look after,

"Well we're going to a restaurant so we thought you might want to get changed; you don't look too comfortable in that outfit."

Yume looked down at the dark and dreary clothes she'd been told to wear by Ino. Yeah, Sasori was right; she _hated_ her outfit. She smiled, replying,

"No, you're right. I hate it."

Hidan crossed his arms and leaned back against the soft leather seating of the limo,

"So why the hell did you wear it?"

"I- I got told to by my band."

Hidan passed a sideways glance to Itachi, then looked back at Yume,

"Oh,"

Sasori, realising Yume had forgotten the beginning of the conversation already, urged,

"So, you live...?"

"Oh, sorry," She said, a little flustered, "Twelve, Konoha Avenue."

"Alright then," he said with a reassuring smile.

After the driver of the limo had been informed where to go, the rest of the journey consisted of Yume and guys talking about their lives and Tobi randomly jumping from seat to seat, throwing pillows at everyone. Yume was almost relieved when Itachi said,

"We're here. Don't take too long."

* * *

_Me: (snoring) (2:13AM)_

_Deidara: Oh great, she's asleep... well, hope you liked the chapter, when Sarah wakes up I'll make her write the next one, yeah._

_(Deidara acting as) X-Deidara's lover-X_


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Characters from Naruto, they belong to Mister Kishimoto

Claimer: Yume is mine, so if I see her in your fanfics...I WILL DETONATE THE BOMB INSIDE HER AND IT WILL BLOW UP YOUR WORK!

Deidara: Sarah... calm down, yeah

Me: Sorry Deidara~! (tries to look cute) Can I have a cookie now?

Deidara: NO! YEAH! WE WENT OVER THIS BEFORE!

Me: Huh? (jumps on Deidara) I'm confused...

Deidara: And I'm annoyed, yeah! (turns to reader)... just start reading the chapter

Me: (giggles) Deidara, you have pwitty hair

Deidara: ... (whispers to reader) save me.

* * *

Chapter 3

_Recap: The rest of the journey consisted of Yume and guys talking about their lives and Tobi randomly jumping from seat to seat throwing pillows at everyone. Yume was almost relieved when Itachi said,_

"_We're here. Don't take too long."_

oOo

"I won't. Don't worry." She said with a smile. Deidara opened the door for her and she ran out of the limo and up to her house. Once she'd opened the door and disappeared inside, Itachi said to Tobi,

"Go in with her. Drag her out in five minutes if she's ready or not." This gained him a nosebleed from Hidan. Tobi clapped his hands together and ran out of the car after Yume.

Inside the house, Yume was busy undressing when Tobi walked in on her. She yelped and covered herself up as much as possible with her clothes. Tobi stared at her blankly.

"What's wrong, Yume?"

"What do you mean, 'What's wrong'?…Get out of my room!"

"Why?"

Something seemed to dawn on Yume, seeing Tobi's casual expression.

"Tobi, you wouldn't care even if I was totally naked…would you?"

Tobi shook his head, smiling,

"Probably not. Tobi doesn't understand why people get all fussed about it anyway."

He made a cute, puzzled look with his face, which only made Yume run over to Tobi and hug him - nevertheless keeping herself as covered as possible, because no matter how little a libido Tobi had, there was probably _something_ there, hidden behind all of his childish thoughts. Once she'd let go of him, Yume asked Tobi, pointing at the pile of clothes on her bed,

"Would you help me pick out an outfit, Tobi? I think I can trust you."

He nodded, grinning and jumping up and down,

"Sure! Tobi would love to help!"

So for the next few minutes Yume tried on different outfits, with Tobi either sticking his thumbs in the air and clapping happily, or shaking his head and making vomiting sounds. The pair eventually decided on - since Tobi had told her they would be going to one of the poshest Japanese restaurants in the city - a knee-length, baby blue kimono with a pretty, dark blue obi and sequined blue sandals.

Yume walked over to the dressing table on the right side of her room and picked up a small bottle of eye-liner. She pulled down on the bottom of her eyelid gently and applied the liquid; just enough to make her eye stand out. She did the same to her other eye then put the bottle back on her desk. Next she pulled up a small wooden stool and sat in front of the mirror on her dressing-table.

Tobi, who by now was looking at Yume from his lying position on her bed, watched as she took one of her pigtails and removed the bobble. Her long blonde hair fell down and some of it fell in front of her face, making her laugh for some reason. She said, looking at his reflection in the mirror,

"Ooh Tobi, I love having my hair down, but it always seems to get in the way."

He grinned,

"So why doesn't Yume cut her hair?"

The girl in question took hold of her remaining pigtail and pulled the bobble from it. She replied,

"Well, it took me so long to grow it this much; it would be a shame to chop it off." Yume grabbed hold of her hair just above her shoulders to make a bob and looked in the mirror again, "And anyway, I'm not sure it would suit me."

She laughed again and picked up her hairbrush, beginning to brush out the few tangles that had accumulated during the day. After a few minutes she placed the brush back down on the desk and picked up one of the two bobbles from before. She took all of her hair in one hand and put the bobble around it, leaving it in a ponytail, then she pulled out two chopsticks from her drawer. She wrapped one into her hair to create a bun and then put the other one in to secure it. After looking at it in the mirror she turned to Tobi and said with triumph,

"Finished!" Then she noticed Tobi was staring at her from upside down, his mouth wide open and his face flushed red; She assumed it was from sitting upside down for too long. He said, sitting the right way up as he did,

"Yume looks really pretty with her hair down! She should go to the restaurant with her hair down!"

Yume laughed again, shaking her head,

"Sorry Tobi, like I said before, I don't wear my hair down because it gets in the way."

Tobi pouted.

"Oh, okay…"

The pair heard a car horn from outside and then they heard Hidan yelling,

"If you two don't get out here now I'll cut you into bits and feed you to my crazy fan-girls!"

Tobi gulped.

"Tobi doesn't think Hidan is lying. Some of the fan-girls are absolutely crazy!" He shuddered at a memory, "They'll eat anything Hidan gives them." With this in mind Tobi sprang up and grabbed hold of Yume's hand, dragging her out of her bedroom as fast as his legs could run. Just before he could drag Yume out the front door, however, she came free of his grasp and said,

"I've got to lock the house first! Hold on." She ran back up the few steps from her doorway and took a left, disappearing into - presumably - the living room. A few seconds later she reappeared with a key in her hand, grinning. The pair walked out of the house together and Yume locked the front door. They walked down the steps, along her short garden path and out the gate. As they approached the limo, Yume noticed people all around were looking out of their windows or pointing from the park across the road. She pursed her lips, trying to cover up the grin she had for being able to spend time with Akatsuki.

When they reached the limo, Tobi opened the door for her and she climbed in. Once inside, she sat down between Sasori and Itachi, glancing out of the window at a child who was pointing the limousine out to his mother. She turned away when she heard Itachi speak up,

"Now I see what was taking you so long. You look lovely."

These few simple words managed to turn Yume's face as red as a peach. She smiled and put her hands on her cheeks, trying to hide the redness. This seriously was the _**best**_ day of her life.

When everyone was seated in the limo, Deidara leaned his head through the open screen into the drivers seat and said,

"The Aya restaurant, yeah."

"Yes sir," replied the driver. The screen between the drivers' seat and the back of the limo closed, stopping anyone from seeing in through the untinted front window.

The journey to the restaurant was much like the one to Yume's house. The guys talked and she listened intently; talking occasionally when they asked her a question, and Tobi jumped around, throwing pillows.

Roughly twenty minutes later, the limousine stopped moving and the drivers' screen opened. The man said,

"We've arrived, but I must warn you that there's a lot of paparazzi outside and you don't have Kisame with you…"

Itachi replied,

"That's fine. We can look after ourselves."

Hidan scoffed and pointed at Tobi.

"_We_ might be able to look after ourselves, but _he_ can't."

Said boy put hands in between his knees and giggled like a little child.

"Tobi's a good boy!"

Hidan leaned over and smacked the poor boy upside the head.

"How old _are_ you, seriously?"

Sasori sighed, used to Tobi's ridiculous behaviour, and turned to Deidara,

"Look after Yume _and_ Tobi, make sure to get them inside safely."

Deidara glared at Sasori.

"Who died and put you in charge, yeah?"

"Don't you want to make sure Yume doesn't get hurt outside?" Sasori said with a smirk. A faint tint of pink brushed Deidara's cheeks, but quickly vanished,

"Well, yeah I want _her_ safe… but do I have to look after Tobi? He seems to go looking for trouble, yeah."

"Yes you do. Now get moving, you know I hate waiting."

Sasori grabbed hold of Deidara and Tobi and pushed them out of the door (which Itachi had just opened for him) and then gave Yume a helping hand out of the limo.

As Yume stepped outside into the evening air, camera flashes and shouting erupted from every side. She was shocked into immobility so Deidara grabbed her arm and pulled her through the large crowd, up to the entrance of the restaurant. After a little bit of pushing and cursing, they had made it to the door of the restaurant.

Deidara took hold of the door and opened it, pulling Yume inside after him. Once inside, Yume looked around at the brightly lit room. It was a large building with regal varnished-oak tables every few meters apart. There were quite a few people in the room, all very elegantly dressed, eating tiny meals that were undoubtedly over-priced.

_'I'm going to be bankrupt by the end of this.'_

She turned her head and saw the flashing lights coming from the cameras outside through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Deidara continued walking up towards the front desk, asking over his shoulder,

"Make sure Tobi stays put, okay Yume?"

"Sure!" she said happily, "…Tobi's not here."

Deidara span around on the spot and looked at Yume incredulously. Noticing she was right, he quickly scanned the area, trying to identify the whereabouts of his stupid companion. Failing to do so, he turned to Yume and asked, sighing,

"Which way did he go, yeah?"

"What do you mean which way do he _go_? He never even _got_ here in the first place. You left him outside."

"What?" Deidara cursed under his breath then said calmly to Yume, "Okay, I will be back in a moment, yeah. If you hear yells and screams that sound somewhat Tobi-like, just ignore them please, yeah."

Deidara ran to the front door, opened it and ran out into the sea of flashing lights. As soon as he'd gone, Yume clutched her sides, laughing - oblivious to the onlooking people from the restaurant.

_'These guys are even better in real life!'_

_**'And Hidan's a pretty good kisser, no? I think he likes us.'**_

Yume blushed at the memory of Hidan's lips on hers in front of millions of viewers.

_'Be quiet. He was just getting more publicity…__**'**_

Yume pulled away from her thoughts as she heard a scream from outside. It wasn't childish enough to be Tobi's. It was more like…Deidara's.

Yume rushed to the front door and opened it, only to be gently pushed back inside by Itachi.

"I wouldn't go back out there if I were you, Yume. Deidara was looking for Tobi when a woma-"

Just then Hidan ran through the door and burst out laughing,

"This whore just ran up to Deidara and screamed 'have my babies!' at the top of her lungs," He gasped for breath between his laughs, "She was fat -and I mean fuckin' fat! I didn't think people actually fuckin' did stuff like that! The best part is…is…-" He creased over, "she wasn't wearing a shirt, so I think Deidara's had a heart attack!" He collapsed on the ground clutching his sides. He wiped the tears from his eyes, "So, so funny…"

By now Sasori had joined the group and was watching Hidan wriggling around on the ground, holding his ribs. He didn't bother asking and walked up to the front desk and said to the waitress,

"A table for seven please."

The girl blushed a million shades of red, realising that **Sasori** was talking to **her**. She picked up seven menus and asked,

"Would you prefer a back-room to get away from the paparazzi?"

"Only if you can fit us in."

"Oh, it's no problem sir!"

Sasori bowed his head politely,

"Thank you."

The waitress giggled and said,

"Okay, follow me please."

Sasori called the others over and they followed the waitress away from the main room. As they walked, Yume leaned over to Sasori and asked,

"What about Deidara and Tobi?"

"Don't worry. They'll be here in a minute."

"Oh," She looked over her shoulder, back towards the windows were flashes could still be seen, "okay..."

Sasori turned and smirked at Yume, thinking how different she seemed to the rest of them. Still, maybe it was just because they hadn't really met up with an 'everyday, non-celebrity' person in a while.

When the group reached the back-room, the waitress unlocked the door and said,

"I'll bring the rest of your party when they arrive."

"Thank you," Sasori said as he scanned the room. The girl bowed and left.

Itachi stated, looking around at the large, tatami-mat fitted room,

"Well, since it's Deidara and Tobi we're waiting for, we may as well get seated and comfortable."

"Yeah, that's fucking true."

Hidan slipped his shoes off, strode into the room and sat down in one of the seven, high-backed, cushion like chairs seated around the table. Yume and the two other males did the same.

Yume looked around the room and said happily, amazed by the artwork on the walls,

"This room is really pretty."

"It would be, because I'm in it!" Hidan said, chuckling at his own awesomeness. Yume giggled, making a lump build in the silver-haired boy's throat. He coughed it away, watching Yume studying the room. She was the only one who hadn't noticed Hidan's little reaction, but luckily both Sasori and Itachi were too reserved to make a joke of it.

A moment later the door opened and the waitress walked in with the rest of the party.

Kisame walked into the room with a white-faced Deidara over his shoulder and Tobi hugging his arm, singing,

"Kisame's alive, Kisame's alive, Tobi said he was, but no one believed Tobi~!" - There wasn't really any tune; it was just another Tobi-like song.

Kisame laughed, seeing Hidan grimacing that Tobi had made it our alive, then asked Itachi,

"So what did I miss?"

"Nothing."

He put Deidara on the ground and managed to shake Tobi off, then walked to the head of the flat table and sat down. He explained to the others as they were all watching curiously,

"I had to grab Deidara from underneath this really weird woman - who was freakishly strong, might I add!"

Hidan keeled over laughing again and Deidara shuddered.

"The horror… the absolute horror…yeah."

He crawled over to the empty seat next to Yume and sat in it, silently. Yume looked at him and for a moment thought about patting him on the back to reassure him it would be alright, but realised she'd be touching one of her idol's backs, she just blushed instead.

The waitress, seeing everyone was acquainted and settled, walked over, bowed and asked,

"Would you like to place your orders?"

oOo

Half an hour later, Yume and the band were sat in front of a banquet of food, eating happily. Kisame and Hidan were happily drinking their weights in sake, whilst Yume and the others stuck to various soft drinks.

Kisame hiccuped and finished off saying,

"…And then I ran all the way here! I would have gotten a taxi, but I had no money." He pulled out a pair of black sun-glasses from his trouser pocket and placed them on his face.

"WHERE THE FUCK –(hiccup)- DID YOU GET THEM FROM THEN?"

"Well…I spent all of my money on these." Kisame flashed who he thought was Yume a smile - although it was actually Deidara…- he was too drunk to see a difference, "So then Blondie, how's about a date?"

Seeing Yume about to correct Kisame, Hidan put a hand over her mouth so she couldn't say anything.

"Sshhh, just watch..."

Kisame moved closer to Deidara and began stroking his leg.

"So what do you say? Me and you, we'd be great together."

The rest of the band tried their bests to hide their laughter as Deidara's expression went from confusion to surprise, to absolute fury in about two seconds.

"Kisame! What the hell do you think you're doing, yeah? Get off me!"

Kisame, who still hadn't guessed it was Deidara he was feeling up, replied,

"Oh, come on, you know you like it." Kisame placed his other hand on Deidara's cheek and leaned in to kiss him. Deidara screamed and threw whatever food was closest into Kisame's face.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING MAN? IT'S ME, DEIDARA, YEAH!"

"WHAT DID YOU DO WITH YUME, YOU UNCANNY SWINE?" Kisame yelled, drawing back and picking up a chopstick. "Give her back or else I will slice you to ribbons!" He said, brandishing the wooden object like a sword.

"I haven't done anything to her! Yeah! You were the one about to kiss her!...well, me but...SHUT UP, YEAH!" Deidara threw another plate of food at Kisame, hitting him. Kisame, following suit, picked up a handful of food and launched it at Deidara, who ducked so it hit Hidan. Hidan let go of Yume to grab some food to throw back, so she scurried over to Itachi, who was known to be the sensible one of the group. He sighed and whispered,

"So childish…"

A plate of food fit his face. It slipped down his chin and landed on the floor.

"Who threw that?" He asked calmly. Hidan, Deidara and Kisame all pointed directly at Tobi, who was obviously hiding food behind his back.

For a moment Itachi didn't do or say anything, then eerily calm he leaned forward and picked up a bowl of food. He flickered his eyes between it and Tobi a moment... and threw it full pelt at the scared boy.

_'__**And what was that about being Mr. Serious?'**_

_'Yeah well…'_

Sasori crawled over to Yume and asked,

"Do you think we should go back to the limousine and leave this lot to explain later?"

Yume giggled and nodded.

The pair crawled across the room and out of the door, totally unnoticed by the rest. They got up and walked through the main room, completely unnoticed by those eating in it, and left through the front door.

"The press must have got bored and left…" said Yume, looking around at the empty walkways.

"You would think that, wouldn't you?" said Sasori, pointing to a bush not too far away. There was nothing wrong with it - other than it was in the middle of the walkway, had large white daisies on it and there was a birds nest on the top which moved up and down occasionally.

Yume giggled.

"There's someone inside that, right?"

"You are correct."

The pair walked hurriedly to the limo and Sasori knocked on the front window.

"Open up, it's Sasori and Yume."

The back door magically swung open and Sasori helped Yume inside, then got into the limo himself. Once safe from the cameras, Yume asked, looking back out at the bush,

"Do you get stalked like this often?"

Sasori nodded, leaning back and crossing his arms,

"All the time," He closed his eyes, a smile on his lips, "We're used to it though."

Yume giggled.

"I'd hate to be as famous as you then."

Sasori cracked open an eye,

"Really?"

Yume nodded her head rapidly.

"I hate posing for photos, let alone that," She said, pointing at the bush that had just edged its way closer to the limo. Sasori chuckled.

The pair chatted for about forty-five minutes before there was a yell from outside. Yume looked out of the window again to see one of the workers at the restaurant yelling and shouting at the five advancing men; four of them laughing their heads off, whilst the last one walked in silence, trying to get the food from his raven-coloured hair.

When they were all safely back in the limo, Deidara said to the driver,

"Takes us back to Yume's house, yeah."

"Yes sir."

oOo

When they reached Yume's house, she looked at the six boys and smiled happily - covering up the fact she was heartbroken this day had to end.

"Thank you so much for helping me out today. I don't know what I would have done."

"Probably would have been booed off stage. Wouldn't have lived it down, would have-" Before Hidan could finish, Deidara threw Tobi at him, shutting him up.

Yume wasn't disheartened by what he'd said - on the contrary she was still overly-joyed Hidan was even talking to her!

It was at this point, revelling in her happiness, that she realised she was going to have to get out of the limo and go home. She sighed sadly.

"What's wrong, yeah?" Deidara asked, looking slightly concerned by her sudden change in mood.

"Oh! Nothing!" Yume replied, putting on a happy face, "Nothing at all! I better not waste any more of your time so-"

Tobi launched himself at Yume and wrapped his arms around her, then he suddenly burst into tears.

"Tobi doesn't want to leave Yume!"

She patted him on the head awkwardly.

"Hey, it's okay. You know where I live so you could always come visit sometime." - This was partly also to make herself feel better. Of course she never realised this seemed to perk up the other members of Akatsuki just as much as the intended member, Tobi.

"Really?" He chirped, "Yay~!" He suddenly pulled a camera from his pocket, looking hopeful, "Can Tobi have a group picture, please?"

He looked at the rest of the group expectantly. Itachi simply nodded. Even if they said no, Tobi would never stop crying until they agreed to it. As Tobi held the camera up to his eye, Sasori said,

"We'd better take it outside," He pointed to the roof of the vehicle, "The lighting is all wrong in here. It's too dark."

So they all filed out of the car and stood outside Yume's house. The driver got out after being ordered by Deidara, and Tobi handed him the camera. The group of boys huddled around Yume with Kisame stood at the back and Sasori and Tobi kneeling down at the front.

The driver counted down,

"3..2..1…"

As he hit one, Tobi - as fast as lightning on speed - managed to dive up behind Yume, pulling her hair from their pigtails and then knelt back down in his place. Before Yume could react, the picture was taken.

She asked, holding the two sections of hair in her hands,

"Tobi, what did you do that for?"

He jumped up from the ground, throwing his hands in the air dramatically.

"Tobi thinks Yume looks prettier with her hair down, and he's probably never going to see her with her hair down again, so Tobi wanted a picture!"

She giggled, letting her hair fall from her hands; hardly having the effort to argue with the brunette,

"Well alright then."

The other boys turned to look at her at that moment. Seeing her long blonde hair falling all over her face a certain person turned the slightest shade of pink, whilst the others hid their emotions better - apart from Hidan of course, who whistled and catcalled.

After everything was said and done, Yume said a sad goodbye to the boys and walked inside her house. Akatsuki got back into the limo and drove off down the street, until Deidara said,

"Stop the car here, yeah."

"Yes sir."

Deidara turned to the rest of the Akatsuki, pulling two small, clay, bird-like items from his pocket.

"I'll be back soon."

The others didn't need to ask, they knew exactly what he was going to do.

* * *

_TA DA! Hope you liked it! And a cliff-hanger too! Aren't I good to you?  
_

_X-Deidara's Lover-X_


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: The Akatsuki and all other characters from Naruto belong to Masashi Kishimoto

Claimer: Yume, Amaya and anyone not found in Naruto belong to me...You know what will happen if I see them in your stories...! KABOOM!

* * *

Chapter 4

_Recap_:

_After everything was said and done, Yume said a sad goodbye to the boys and walked inside her house. Akatsuki got back into the limo and drove off down the street, until Deidara said,_

"_Stop the car here, yeah."_

"_Yes sir."_

_Deidara turned to the rest of the Akatsuki, pulling two, small, clay, bird-like items from his pocket._

"_I'll be back soon."_

_The others didn't need to ask, they knew exactly what he was going to do._

oOo

Deidara walked towards Yume's house with the clay creatures clutched in his hands. The hardest part of the task ahead was actually getting into Yume's house without being found out, which was, by far, easier said than done from what Deidara could tell from the landscaping of her house. Another problem was: 'where were her parents?' Her father could jump out of the bushes brandishing a baseball bat at any moment wearing henna face paint, screaming some incoherent war song including lyrics such as; 'Stay away from my daughter or I will beat you into an insignificant pulp'.

Deidara hit his forehead,

"Like that's ever going to happen, yeah."

Still, Deidara kept his eyes firmly fixed on each bush he passed. When he reached the correct building, he noticed a light on in one of the upstairs rooms and through the partly opened window he could hear the faint sound of running water, so presumably someone was in the bathroom. There were no other lights on in the house so, luckily for the paranoid Deidara, that meant it was probably Yume in the bathroom, and no one else was in. Deidara opened the wooden gate and let himself onto Yume's small garden path. He walked light-footed up to her front door and pulled out a small pocket knife. After placing the clay birds on the floor he leant down to the lock and inserted the blade of the knife. He moved the knife around a little bit, earning him a 'click'. Grinning in success Deidara put the knife back into his black trouser pocket, stood up and pushed the door open.

The first thing Deidara heard as he stepped inside the house was steadily running water and a girl humming loudly. The blonde boy blushed as he realised that Yume was in the shower. To distract himself from this thought Deidara set himself back on task, seeing a staircase across the hall from him. he, quickly but quietly, ran across to and up it, pausing on the landing above. He glanced about then turned right. The first door he came to opened to reveal a bedroom. There was a large double bed, a long mirror and an oak wardrobe unit. Deidara walked over to the wardrobe and opened it. There was nothing inside. No clothes, no shoes... nothing. Come to mention it, when Deidara looked round, there were no ornaments or photographs or anything that a usual bedroom would have. There was dust though. Thick layers of dust. Dust that had already built up under his nails from simply opening the wardrobe. It was as if no one had ever used this room before... or at least not in a very long time.

He quickly left and shut the door behind him, trying the next room instead. It turned out to be a small storage-room; with blankets, extra clothes, pillows and such. He skipped the next room simply because he already knew it was the bathroom because he could hear the water. He knew he would have to be quick because sooner or later Yume was going to get out of the shower and find him snooping around her house. There were three rooms left on this corridor. One to his left, one to his right and one straight ahead. He chose to try the door in front of him first. He reached forward and took hold of the handle, pushing the door open a crack. He leaned forward, pushing the door open more to stick his head through. Now able to see into the room he almost fell back in shock. The room in front of him was covered from floor to ceiling in posters of different rock bands. He walked in, looking about in awe, then stopped just short of a purple sheeted bed on the left of the room. He was staring in particular at one poster just above the bed.

'_Hmm, not a bad looking man if I do say so myself, yeah..._' He said, smirking at the large poster of himself and the rest of Akatsuki, '_...shame about the rest of them though.'_

After examining a few of the other posters Deidara took one of the clay figures and placed it carefully on the bookcase to the right of the bed, hiding it slightly behind a couple of old, untouched-looking books. He made sure that the figure was placed correctly, then, after listening out for the still-running water, he walked back out of the room, along the hall (pausing briefly to listen to Yume humming), down the stairs and out the front door. As he walked up to the garden-gate he placed the second bird figure to the side of the small path, hidden from the world by a shrub.

Deidara walked away down the street, then, as he saw a flash from a camera, he suddenly broke into a run, knowing what was about to happen. Sure enough as he reached the limo in record time, people started to appear from bushes and trees, bins and from behind cars, holding cameras that flashed brightly. He rapped his knuckles on the window of the limousine, watching as the paparazzi advanced towards him.

'_Damn,_' He thought, '_They're faster than usual.'_ A look of pure terror began to spread out onto his face. He banged his fist on the window,

"OPEN THE DOOR, YEAH!"

"What's the password?" asked a happy Tobi from inside.

"Tobi, not now, yeah! Open the God damn door!"

"Deidara has to give the password to prove he's really Deidara!"

Deidara grumbled something incoherent and then, with nothing else he could do, he stepped back and with one swift movement, kicked the door from the limo. The advancing paparazzi stopped in their tracks, scared to move.

Deidara stepped into the limo and gave Tobi and eerie smile,

"Next time Tobi, open the door, or next time it wont be the door being kicked in."

Tobi immediately put his hands over his head in a defensive manner.

"Don't hurt Tobi! Tobi was only trying to be a good boy!"

"...Shut up Tobi, yeah." He growled half-heartedly. With Tobi whimpering sufficiently now, the blonde turned to Itachi, "They're both planted. One in her bedroom, the other just outside her house, yeah."

Itachi nodded his head and then, as he saw Hidan becoming more and more agitated with Tobi, he said to the driver,

"Take us home."

"Yes sir." He paused, "What about the door?"

"We- I mean, _Deidara_ will pay for it to be repaired."

Deidara didn't even try to protest. He had plenty enough money to pay for it, and he couldn't be bothered dealing with an angry Itachi. The limo driver nodded, tipping his hat,

"Yes sir!"

Happy with the arrangements, the driver started up the engine and the limo drove away, leaving the press still stood outside in shock.

oOo

The next morning Yume lay in her bed, asleep. Outside in the dark street, the paparazzi were waiting in the shadows; waiting for Yume to open her curtains. One man, one very stupid man with his camera walked towards the house, unable to wait for her to wake. He walked up to her house and opened the gate. At this point a pair of small, beady eyes locked onto him. The man walked over to Yume's gutter pipe, then after looking about shiftily he proceeded to climb it. The pair of eyes watched him as he ascended the pipe then the eyes, along with the body, moved to follow the man. A beating of wings was heard and when the man looked up he came face to face with a small, clay-looking bird. It didn't speak, just watched from the windowsill. The man thought nothing of it and continued to climb upwards. He managed to touch his fingertips to the ledge before the bird left its perch to sit on the man's head.

"Shoo." Hissed the man, trying to shake the bird off without losing balance on the drain-pipe. He felt tiny claws dig into his head as the bird stabilised itself. He hissed again, deciding best to ignore the bird. He pulled himself up on the drain-pipe, managing to kneel on the window-ledge. He smirked shamefully, holding up his camera, seeing Yume lying in her bed with the covers partially fallen off the bed and one of the straps from her pyjama top half way down her arm. He focused his camera for the shot. Just as his finger fell onto the button to take the picture the claws in his head seemed to tighten. He hissed loudly, raising one hand to swat at the bird. The bird didn't move and all he did was nearly unbalance himself. He swore under his breath, swearing to shoot the bird later, then refocused on the picture. As his finger fell on the button again, this time the bird suddenly made a screeching sound. The man jumped but did not fall - not until the bird suddenly unhooked itself from the man's head, flew to sit in front of the camera lens, then with one more loud screech it exploded, masses of reds, yellows and whites swirling in front of the man's eyes as he fell from his perch, down to the floor. He hit the ground, unconscious. The onlooking men and women of the press all ran away as fast as they could. Almost an hour later the man woke up, his face bruised but not badly. He looked around in shock, not understanding what had happened and then picked himself up, then his broken camera and ran from the house, scared for his life.

oOo

The small alarm clock by the side of Yume's bed began its daily moments of torture as it hit '8:00 am'. The blonde haired girl rolled over and slammed her hand down on the bed-side table, missing the clock by inches. Annoyed at missing the stupid contraption, Yume grumbled, turned over and slammed the pillow over her face, drowning out the noise. Twenty minutes later, Yume sprang up off the bed, yelling,

"Oh no! I'm going to be late for school!"

She dashed over to her wardrobe and nearly flung the doors off their hinges. She grabbed her white school shirt and navy blue skirt, threw them on, ran downstairs and, after eating a slice of toast, grabbed her school bag and dashed out the front door. She looked around quickly and then stopped.

"W-what?"

Yume looked around, confused. There was no one about and the street lamps were still on. It was quite dark out, even if it was the ending of winter. This time yesterday, it was bright and sunny. Something strange was going on. Yume walked back inside her house to check the time. The clock in her living room, read: '7:12'

"What the hell..."

She ran up the stairs, two at a time, and into her room. The small digital clock sat by her bed, read: '8:12'

'That's strange...its an hour out...how did that happen?'

She shrugged, then got slightly annoyed about getting up an hour earlier than she had to. As she was walking out of her room, a replica of Itachi Uchiha's concert ring caught her eye. She realised exactly how her clock had been changed.

"Amaya..." was all she said.

She walked back downstairs and went into the kitchen to make a better breakfast. After getting a large bowl of cereal and a hot chocolate, she walked into her living room again and switched on the television. The only reason the cup of hot chocolate she had been holding had not smashed on the floor, was because it had landed on a pillow when she dropped it. On the screen in front of her was the image of her, on a stage, with Akatsuki stood behind her, and Hidan's mouth clamped on hers. The reporter was saying, "...they ended with a tender kiss. Does this show of affection mean anything? It's too early to tell, but we think Hidan may have found someone..."

Yume began to hyperventilate.

**'**_**Oh my God, that wasn't a dream.**_**'**

Her face flushed crimson and she nearly cried from embarrassment and worry; when she got to school, she was going to be murdered by Hidan's fan-girls, if not the rest of the Akatsuki's fan-girls first. Today was not going to be a good day. Heck, even if she managed to get through the first day, she would have to get through the rest of her life, sleeping with one eye open and her doors and windows locked at all times.

Distracting herself to the best of her abilities, Yume flicked channels to the music channel and listened to it for about thirty minutes, then made sure she had everything and left, on time, for school.

As she was walking down the street with her black 'Nightmare Before Christmas' messenger-bag, she suddenly heard the familiar sound of,

"YUME! HI! I SAW YOU YESTERDAY, MY GOD YOU WERE AWESOME!"

Yume sighed, a smile on her face, and turned to face her best friend Amaya; who was running up to her with a grin on her face. When she reached the blonde-haired girl, Amaya yelled,

"YOU NEVER TOLD ME THAT YOU WERE PERFORMING WITH AKATSUKI!"

"Well yeah, I didn't know either. It's just that the band didn't show up so they helped me out."

"I know, I was there! I was at the back, waving the candle around and yelling, 'OH MY GOD I KNOW THAT GIRL! SHE'S MY BEST FRIEND!...what do you mean yeah right? I am! You don't believe me? Fine! Take that'-"

As Amaya continued to re-enact the fight scene she'd had, Yume started walking away, her raven-haired friend following close behind. Suddenly, Amaya jumped in front of Yume energetically and asked,

"So did you see me and my little candle? Huh? HUH?"

Amaya's face was so close to Yume's, her bob tickling Yume's cheeks, it would have been very strange for any onlookers.

"Eh, no Amaya. I was kinda busy..."

Amaya giggled, drawing back, then punched Yume playfully on the arm.

"Yeah, you were too busy playing tonsil-tennis with Hidan, you sly dog you."

Yume's face turned red.

"Amaya... shut up,"

This only made the raven-haired girl laugh harder.

"Yume and Hidan, sitting in a tree, F-U-C-K-I-N-G!"

The blonde hit her friend over the head and then ran off. Amaya stood there for a moment, frozen, then muttered to herself, growing louder,

"Oh no you didn't just do that. Yume when I get my hands on you, I'm going to knock you senseless, then sensible, then SENSELESS AGAIN!"

By this time, Yume was off down the street, laughing.

As they ran towards the school together, Yume asked Amaya,

"So then, are you going to tell me what you were doing in my house last night?"

"Huh? I wasn't in your house last night!"

"Really? Then why did I find this in my room?" Yume pulled out the small silver and red ring that she had found in her room earlier. Amaya stopped in her tracks.

"I thought I'd lost that! I must have dropped it when I was in your roo-"

"Ha! I knew it!"

Amaya put her hands up in defence,

"Hey! For your information, I was actually in your house _yesterday_. I went round to tell you that I'd seen you with Akatsuki, but you weren't in. I'd just checked your bedroom when-"

"Hold on. How did you get into my house?"

Amaya pulled out a small silver key from her pocket and spun it around her finger. Yume stared at it for a second then yelled almost angrily,

"How did you get that?"

Amaya tapped the side of her nose, grinning,

"That's for me to know and you to find out when you're old and grey and too crippled to chase me," She put the key back into her pocket, "Anyway, I'd just checked your bedroom to see if you were there, and you weren't, so I was about to leave, but then I saw your clock and well...I thought it would be kind of funny to-"

"-to change the time on my clock? Yeah, thanks a lot."

Amaya scratched the back of her head, laughing nervously,

"So I guess it worked..."

Yume started to walk towards her black haired friend with a look of murderous intent in her eyes. Amaya, seeing this, turned and ran, screaming,

"See you at school!"

As the pair ran towards the school, a pair of beady black eyes followed them the whole way.

The second that the pair of girls walked through the school gates, a girl shouted, "There's Yume!"

Girls everywhere began to squeal in excitement. Suddenly, Yume was nearly knocked to the ground as she was surrounded by screaming fan-girls, hopefully not Hidan's.

"What was it like?"

"Where were the rest of Konoha Chibi parade?"

"Are you and Hidan dating?"

"I didn't know you could sing...Why didn't you tell anyone?"

Suddenly, the familiar voice of Amaya called out,

"Okay people, out of the way! Nothing to see here!" The black-haired girl began to barge her way through the large crowd of girls. "Yume isn't someone you can just molest whenever you want...well, not unless you pay me-"

"Amaya!"

"Okay, you can't molest her. Period. Get the hell out of the way!" Amaya said as she punched a girl in the face, "Get out of the way people! Famous person's best friend coming through here!"

Suddenly some of the girls jumped on her and asked,

"So did you know she was dating Hidan?" and questions along those lines. At this Amaya had a sudden change of heart.

"What am I on about... I hardly know this person! I'm just a very kind person who wants to save this girl from being suffocated by your fan-girl like questions."

The girls left Amaya and went back to asking Yume questions. Amaya, getting slightly pissed off, cracked her knuckles, then her neck, then said,

"Get the hell out of the way! We need to get to class and you need to get a fucking life!"

All of the girls that didn't leave instantly, Amaya punched out of the way. When she reached Yume, she said,

"Come on, dipshit. Lets go."

Yume laughed and said,

"Okay, thanks."

Amaya helped her friend up and then they both walked off to form room, ignoring the many stares from the other students; Girls glaring or staring in awe and guys staring hopefully at Yume. Amaya yelled,

"Stop staring you bunch of horny perverts!" Then she added, "You're only looking at her like that because she's famous!"

Yume hit her friend again.

"Okay, one, thanks a bunch! Two, I'm not even famous."

Amaya snorted,

"Like hell you're not! Damn it, everyone from here to the other end of the world knows about you now! Akatsuki are world-known and now so are you!" Yume's face paled. Amaya laughed, noticing this and slapped her on the back, "It's okay! I'll be your almighty, supreme bodyguard!"

From a far, far off distance, a male's voice said,

"Yes, and so will we, yeah."

Deidara sat in his room; Hidan, Itachi, Sasori, Tobi and a few other boys either sitting or standing around his bed, peering over his shoulder, looking at the screen in his lap - upon which showed the image of Yume and Amaya walking, supposedly to their form room.

Itachi watched the screen for a moment and then turned to Deidara,

"Where did you learn to make those exploding clay camera birds anyway, Deidara?"

Said blonde smirked and said smugly,

"Do a little art, do a little science, put them together and hey presto, Deidara's camera bird-bombs, yeah."

A youngish looking boy with black hair and a feminine voice asked,

"But isn't that slightly dangerous? The bomb could go off at any moment."

"Haku, It's fine, yeah. The bombs are voice activated."

"And what do you have to say to detonate them?"

"You say kats-" But a firm hand was placed over Deidara's mouth.

"You fucking idiot, Deidara! You say that word and the bird will blow up, along with Yume!"

"Oh...yeah...thanks for stopping me, Hidan."

"Yeah, you fuckin' should be!"

Another of the boys asked,

"So, why do you use those things anyway?"

"So we can make sure Yume isn't attacked by the press or random fan-boys, yeah," He gave a meaningful look to the boys in the room.

"Us?" Asked one of the boys defensively.

"Yes, you. Your eyes nearly fall out of your head every time you see her!"

"Bu- wh- ho-... I do not!" The boy walked out of the room in a mood.

Sasori looked at the rest of the boys who weren't in the Akatsuki.

"Shouldn't you boys be leaving also?"

"Yes sir."

The boys immediately left the room. Deidara glared at Sasori.

"Why do they give you all the respect, yeah?"

Sasori said coolly,

"Because, unlike you, I do not go round stalking girls from other schools."

"I'm not, yeah! I'm making sure she's safe!"

"Of course."

"Well, if I hadn't planted that bird outside her house, that man from the press would have taken some creepy-as-hell pictures, and she would be all over the papers, yeah."

"Yes, but as well as that, the actions that you are taking," he pointed to the television, "would class you as a stalker."

"Shut up, yeah."

Sasori smirked. Tobi started running around in front of Deidara and began singing,

"Deidara's a stalker! Deidara's a stalker! Yume is in trouble because Deidara's a stalker!"

The blonde haired male lunged at Tobi, screaming,

"I am not a god-damn stalker, yeah!"

Sasori watched the fighting for a moment, and then turned to the small television screen and continued watching Yume.

oOo

As Yume stepped into the classroom all the conversations that had been in progress, stopped automatically. All eyes focused on her. Just then, Amaya walked into the room, laughing her head off. She didn't notice the many eyes all staring at her and Yume, or the strange silence. She walked straight into Yume, nearly making both of them to fall over.

"Damn it Yume, don't just stand there! Move, move, move! C'mon woman!"

Just then Amaya finally noticed the silence. She turned her head slightly and saw the stares from the rest of her form.

"H-hey people! How are things today? Erm...lovely weather..." She flared up, feeling claustrophobic under the glare of her classmates, "DAMN IT! STOP STARING AT ME!"

Some of the other students started laughing, whilst others just started their conversations again. Yume and Amaya walked over to their seats at the back of the class and sat down. A moment later, a girl with shoulder-length pink hair, and another girl with blonde hair tied up in four bunches appeared. They both sat down on the table in front of Amaya and Yume. The pink haired girl asked happily,

"So Yume, how come you performed with Akatsuki? Where were the rest of K-C-P (A/N: Konoha Chibi parade)?"

Yume shrugged, looking at her friend,

"I'm not really sure. They just never turned up."

"Aww, me and Temari were looking forward to watching you guys as well."

"Yeah, we got front row seats and everything!"

Amaya grabbed the pink haired girl by the front of of her shirt and yelled at her,

"What do you mean 'Front row seats'? Why did you not tell me, Sakura! I could have been stood right next to the stage! I would have been so close that if Hidan had been wearing a skirt I would have seen **everything**!"

Yume and Temari collapsed in fits of laughter with the image of Amaya drooling over the sight of whatever was up Hidan's skirt.

Just then, the form tutor, Kakashi, walked in the room,

"Settle down at the back. Okay guys I have an important notice from the-"

"WOW! SIR! YOU'RE ONLY TEN MINUTES LATE! THAT'S YOUR ALL TIME RECORD!" Amaya and the blonde haired Naruto yelled at the same time, then they looked at each other and yelled,

"HEY! STOP COPYING ME!...NO! YOU!...STOP IT!...STOP COPYING ME DAMN IT!"

Kakashi called over them,

"How about both of you just shut up, before I'm forced to put you in a detention."

Naruto whined,

"But Kakashi! That's not fair!"

"Yeah! Listen to the dickhead!" yelled Amaya.

Kakashi just ignored both of them and began to call the register. As he did so, Yume propped her head up on her hand and began daydreaming.

'_What are Akatsuki doing right now?'_

_**'Ha-ha, I knew we love them!'**_

_'No, it's just that they were so nice to me.'_

_'__**so we DO love them!'**_

_'No!...maybe...its a just a crush!'_

A blush spread onto Yume's face. Amaya looked at her and whispered in her ear,

"You're thinking about Akatsuki, aren't you?"

"No!" She hissed back. Amaya waggled her finger in front of Yume's nose.

"Don't lie to me missy! I know you too well, a lie wont get past me! You've fancied every gut out of Akatsuki for ages!"

"I have not! I only like..." Yume couldn't finish. She didn't know. There were a couple of members she liked more than the rest but she couldn't really choose between the two.

"Huh? Who did you say?"

Sakura poked Yume in the head.

"Yume! Say you're here!"

"Oh... yes sir!"

Kakashi looked at her from the front of the room.

"Try to pay attention please...oh, and, well done on your performance yesterday."

"Eh..." She was surprised Mr. Hatake even listened to that type of stuff, "Thank you."

whispers and laughter were heard from all over the room, making Yume sink into her seat. Kakashi put the register onto his desk and said calmly,

"What I was going to say earlier was, in five to six months time, after your exams are over, there will be a school prom. You are all to attend-..." The rest of Kakashi's speech was incoherent because Amaya had jumped onto the table and was screaming,

"YES! THIS IS MY TIME TO SHINE!" Her head darted around the room, "Now...who's gonna ask me to the dance...?" She jumped off the table and ran over to a boy with shaggy brown hair,

"Will it be you?" She ran over to another boy with darker brown hair who was currently sleeping, "Will it be you?" She ran over to another boy, "Or will it be YOU?"

Amaya continued around the classroom, randomly yelling, "Will it be you?" until the bell rang for first period. Yume walked up to her still-screaming friend, grabbed her by the back of the collar and dragged her away from the boy she had just attacked.

"So what do we have first, Amaya?" Yume asked as they walked down the corridor.

"Pfft, how would I know? Hold on, lemme ask..."

Amaya grabbed the closest person to her and asked,

"What do we have now?"

The person she had grabbed hold of was a small first-year student. The scared girl shook her head and whispered,

"I don't know... I don't even know who you are."

Amaya yelled,

"That's no excuse! We're in a war soldier!"

Yume tapped Amaya on the shoulder.

"Amaya, what are you talking about?"

Said girl dropped the small first-year and scratched the back of her head sheepishly.

"...Nothing...just ignore me."

"Okay..." Yume rolled her eyes at her friend then walked off, leaving Amaya stood there in shock from her action.

"She left me... HOW COULD YOU?" Amaya ran after Yume, leaving the first-year stood... petrified.

oOo

Yume and Amaya stood outside the classroom, waiting for the teacher to arrive. They were waiting quietly until a boy with snow white skin walked up to them. He turned to Amaya and asked,

"So, why do we even have to take this class? What is so important about sex education, ugly?"

Amaya turned towards the boy and replied calmly,

"What did you just call me?"

"Ugly."

"Why?"

"Because you are..."

"What?" Amaya clenched her fist, "Take that!" Amaya punched the boy in the face, "That was for calling me ugly!" She punched him again, "And that was for wearing that tank-top! You're a man! Dress like one!"

Just before anything else could happen (Before Amaya could murder the boy) an almighty scream was heard from down the hall.

"Oh great... He's in today..." Yume whispered. Suddenly, a man with a shiny, black, bowl-cut hairstyle, wearing green spandex appeared and yelled,

"All right my youthful students, into the classroom so I may teach you about the wonders that create the youthful people that are you today."

The students filed into the room and sat down. Again, Yume and Amaya sat at the back of the classroom, but in this lesson, it was just to stifle the laughter. They had this lesson once every month, in place of their usual citizenship lesson with Mr. Hatake.

When everyone was seated, the teacher took the attendance,

"...Naruto...Kiba...Lee-"

"Yes Gai-sensei! I am here to attend your class of youthfulness!"

A tear rolled down Gai's eye,

"Oh Lee, you are like the son I never had..."

"Oh Gai-sensei..."

"Oh Lee..."

For some strange reason, behind Gai, Yume could see the ocean and a setting sun.

"Oh Gai-sensei..."

"Oh Lee..."

"Oh Gai-sensei!"

Yume turned to look at Amaya and saw that her friend was sat with tears in her eyes, and a hand in her mouth - stifling the laughter. She removed her hand and said in-between laughs,

"They...have...to be...gay!"

Yume stopped herself from laughing and looked back at Gai and Lee. It was a funny sight. Lee was stood with Gai's arms wrapped around him. Behind them, waves were crashing against the cliff.

Naruto yelled,

"Sir! Get on with the lesson!...it's not natural what you and Lee are doing..."

"Of course it's natural! It is very youthful to hug people!"

Naruto was hesitant, "...Sir, you're insane, believe it!"

Gai didn't seem to hear Naruto's comment. He yelled to the class,

"Open your books to the next clean page and copy what I am about to say, down."

He waited for everyone to open their books and then continued to say,

"A child is created when the mighty power of youth enters the females' lotus flower..."

As he continued, Yume and Amaya's faces became whiter and whiter. At one part, Amaya produced a bucket from thin air and threw up into it.

Forty minutes later, Yume raised her hand into the air. Gai stopped talking and asked,

"YE,S MY YOUTHFUL STUDENT! WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU TODAY?"

"Sir, I have to go for band-practice now."

Suddenly, Amaya and Naruto stood up and yelled,

"WOO! GO KONOHA CHIBI PARADE! LET HER GO SIR!...HEY STOP COPYING ME...NO YOU STOP COPYING **ME! **ARGH!"

Naruto jumped onto the table and then stage dived onto Amaya. Whilst this was going on, Gai nodded to Yume, so she packed up her bag and escaped from the classroom whilst she still could. As she left, she heard the yells from Amaya,

"Get off me you copying-freak!" and five seconds later...

"Get off me you cow! Believe it!"

"What did you just call me?"

Yume closed the classroom door after her, giggling. She walked along the corridor, past the front-desk, along the next corridor and out of the side door. As she walked up and out of the school gates, she began thinking to herself,

_'I wonder what the guys are going to say about the gig...maybe they'd forgotten about it...'_

_'__**More like they were all drunk out of their heads!'**_

_'No...'_

Yume walked across the street and further along the road until she came to a tall, old-looking building. She could hear the sound of an electric guitar being played from inside. The blonde girl walked up to the building and through the sliding-glass door. She did not notice this, but following her the whole way was the small clay bird. On the other end, Deidara and Sasori sat in their bedroom watching.

* * *

_Hi people! long time no see. I've been busy again!_

_Deidara:_ _yeah, watching anim-_

_Me__: SHUSH!...anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, tell me what you think of Amaya please!_

_Deidara__: This is what I think of her, yeah. She's a psycho!_

_Amaya:_ _Oh no you didn't girlfriend! (watches Deidara running away)... HEY! DEIDARA! GET BACK HERE YOU COWARD! (Chases him)_

_Me__:... (sweat-drops)... Ha, and you thought I was crazy.  
_

_X-Deidara's Lover-X_


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Naruto

Claimer: I own Yume, Amaya and anyone else you can't find in Naruto, so if I see them in your stories...KABOOM! AGAIN! MWUHAHAHAHA!

Deidara: (looking scared)... Sarah...You've had cookie dough again, haven't you, yeah?

Me: Pah!... No! of course not! would I?

Deidara: yes.

Me:...YEAH! SO WHAT IF I HAVE? I'M NOT HURTING ANYONE!

Deidara: You're hurting my eardrums, yeah! SHUT UP! (hits Sarah with baseball bat) and that's from before!

Me: ...(lying on floor, unable to speak due to unconsciousness)...

Deidara: Ah well. (turns to reader) read away, yeah.

* * *

Chapter 5

_Recap:_

_'Yume walked across the street and further along the road until she came to a tall building, she could hear the sound of an electric guitar being played from inside. The blonde girl walked up to the building and through the door._

_Following her the whole way was the small clay bird. On the other end, Deidara and Sasori sat in their bedroom watching...'_

oOoOo

Yume walked down the short hallway and turned left into the main hall, where her band was playing. As she stepped through the door, they all stopped and looked at her. A boy on the microphone with raven-black hair said coolly,

"You're late."

"Sorry Sasuke, I couldn't get away because Naruto and Amaya started fighting again."

The blonde girl on the other microphone brushed her hair over her shoulder and said,

"That's no excuse! You kept us waiting, Yume."

"Yeah... I said I was sorry, Ino. But hey, where were you guys yesterday? You left me at the concert with... no one!"

The other people in the room turned to look at each other, frowning and obviously confused. Yume noticed this and said, trying to sound angry, but unfortunately nervous too,

"Let me guess. You were too drunk and totally forgot about it..."

Ino snorted.

"Ha! And what if we were? It was far better than any concert. The lighting destroys my beautiful skin, you know!"

'_**It was wrecked in the first place!'**_

_'I wish she wasn't so bitchy...'_

"So I'm right then?"

Sasuke just nodded.

"I don't know why you guys made me join this band in the first place! If you're not going to show up for any of the concerts, there's no point me even being her-"

Suddenly, a hand collided with the side of Yume's face. Hard. She winced in pain, her eyes watering, and then after her vision had cleared, she saw Ino stood in front of her, a look of murderous intent plastered on her face.

oOo

Deidara jumped off his bed and ran towards the door of his room, only to be dragged back by Sasori. He yelled in protest,

"Let go of me, Sasori! Yume just got attacked, yeah! There's a crazy psycho in the same room as her and we need to rescue her!"

The red-head stated plainly,

"Yes, and there's a psycho right here too. Now be quiet. It was only one slap, she can take care of herself."

"But-"

"If it makes you feel any better, you can be in charge of watching Yume. Tell me if anything else happens to her, and then you can go and be her night in shining armour."

Deidara looked at his friend, thought for a second, and then decided to go with the plan. He walked back over to the bed, lay down on it, and stared at the screen, not even daring to blink just in case he missed anything.

oOo

"Don't you dare even think of leaving! The teachers don't trust us enough to go off to band practice, and if you're here, since you're such a goody-two shoes, they aren't going to question us!" Ino said as she took a swig of her drink and then placed it on the ground, "And anyway, auntie wouldn't be too happy if you stopped me from becoming a professional singer just because **you** didn't show up to the concerts!"

"It was the other way round!"

"Yeah, but its your word against mine, Sasuke's, Neji's and Tenten's."

"Yeah, but she's _my_ mu-" She trailed off suddenly, her face pained. Ino smirked. She knew that was her weak-spot. Yume shook her head, continuing, "And anyway, I have proof. The concert was on national television."

Ino snorted again.

"Like hell it was!"

"Fine, don't believe me. I don't care."

Yume's temper was high, so she decided to take her mind off it all by saying,

"Anyway, lets get started."

Neji, who hadn't spoken out once yet, said,

"Yeah. Can we just do what we came here to do in the first place?"

"But we are." Said Ino, pointing to her bottle of alcohol.

Neji sighed,

"No. The other thing...the music."

Ino giggled,

"Oh yeah..."

"Right..." Yume said as she took her guitar and plugged it in.

oOo

"She's only the guitarist, yeah?"

"It would seem so." Replied Sasori, peering over Deidara's shoulder.

"She's totally wasted in that band, yeah!"

"Maybe not." Sasori said. He pointed out a microphone that Yume was walking towards, "It looks like she's one of the back-up singers."

"That's not good enough, yeah!" Deidara said as he crossed his hands over his chest. Sasori stared at him blankly for a moment, then smirked momentarily,

_'Deidara likes her...hmmm...__**he's**_ _not going to be happy about the_ _competition.'_

"Deidara, just watch the screen."

"Yeah, yeah..."

oOo

Ino stood in front of her microphone. She dropped her head and called out,

"Britney Spears, Womanizer. 3, 2, 1..."

Neji began to play his keyboard on siren whilst Tenten started to beet the drum loudly every few seconds. She hit the drum six times and then Ino began to sing whilst Yume and Sasuke played guitar,

(A/N: blah = Ino. (blah) = Yume. **(blah) = **Sasuke)

'Superstar  
Where you from, how's it going?  
I know you  
Gotta clue, what you're doing?  
You can play brand new to all the other chicks out here  
But I know what you are, what you are, baby

Look at you  
Gettin' more than just a re-up  
Baby, you  
Got all the puppets with their strings up  
Fakin' like a good one, but I call 'em like I see 'em  
I know what you are, what you are, baby

Womanizer, Woman-Womanizer  
You're a womanizer,  
Oh womanizer, Oh you're a womanizer, baby  
You, you, you are  
You, you, you are  
Womanizer, womanizer, womanizer

(**womanizer**)

Boy, don't try to front  
I, I know just-just what you are, are, are

Boy, don't try to front

I, I know just-just what you are, are, are

(You) You got me going  
(You) You're oh so charming  
(You) But I can't do it  
(You) Womanizer

Boy, don't try to front  
I, I know just-just what you are, are, are  
Boy, don't try to front

I, I know just-just what you are, are, are

(You) You say I'm crazy  
(You) I got you crazy  
(You) Your nothing but a  
(You) Womanizer

Daddy-O  
You got the swagger of a champion  
Too bad for you  
Just can't find the right companion  
I guess when you have one too many, makes it hard  
It could be easy, who you are, that's just who you are baby

Lollipop  
Must mistake me as a sucker  
To think that I  
Would be a victim not another  
Say it, play it how you wanna  
But no way I'm ever gonna fall for you, never you, baby

Womanizer, Woman-Womanizer  
You're a womanizer,  
Oh womanizer, Oh you're a womanizer, baby  
You, you, you are  
You, you, you are  
Womanizer, womanizer, womanizer

(**Womanizer**)

Boy, don't try to front  
I, I know just-just what you are, are, are

Boy, don't try to front

I, I know just-just what you are, are, are

(You) You got me going  
(You) You're oh so charming  
(You) But I can't do it  
(You) Womanizer

Boy, don't try to front  
I, I know just-just what you are, are, are

Boy, don't try to front

I, I know just-just what you are, are, are

(You) You say I'm crazy  
(You) I got you crazy  
(You) Your nothing but a  
(You) Womanizer

Maybe if we both lived in a different world

(Womanizer, womanizer, womanizer, womanizer)  
It would be all good, and maybe I could be ya girl  
But I can't 'cause we don't

Womanizer, Woman-Womanizer  
You're a womanizer,  
Oh womanizer, Oh you're a womanizer, baby  
You, you, you are  
You, you, you are  
Womanizer, womanizer, womanizer

(**womanizer**)

Boy, don't try to front  
I, I know just-just what you are, are, are

Boy, don't try to front

I, I know just-just what you are, are, are

(You) You got me going  
(You) You're oh so charming  
(You) But I can't do it  
(You) Womanizer (**womanizer**)

Boy, don't try to front  
I, I know just-just what you are, are, are

Boy, don't try to front

I, I know just-just what you are, are, are

(You) You say I'm crazy  
(You) I got you crazy  
(You) Your nothing but a  
(You) Womanizer

Boy, don't try to front  
I, I know just-just what you are, are, are

Boy, don't try to front

I, I know just-just what your are, are, are  
Womanizer, Woman-Womanizer  
You're a womanizer, (**Womanizer, oh**)  
Oh womanizer, Oh you're a womanizer. Baby'

Ino clapped her hands and giggled,

"Okay, that was great! Next song...hmm...oh! Bring me to life, Evanescence!"

Tenten looked at Ino and said,

"Do you really think that's a good idea? You always have trouble with the last note."

"Don't worry, I've got it nailed!"

"Okay then..." Tenten said as she flexed her fingers, then took hold of her drumsticks again.

Ino stood in her 'dramatic pose' in front of her microphone and told Neji,

"Go!"

He began to play the keyboard.

'How can you see into my eyes like open doors  
Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb  
Without a soul  
My spirit sleeping somewhere cold  
Until you find it there and lead  
It back home

(**wake me up**)  
Wake me up inside  
(**I Can't wake up**)  
Wake me up inside  
(**Save me**)  
Call my name and save me from the dark  
(**Wake me up**)  
Bid my blood to run  
(I Can't wake up)  
Before I come undone  
(**Save me**)  
Save me from the nothing I've become

Now that I know what I'm without  
You can't just leave me  
Breathe into me and make me real  
Bring me to life

(**wake me up**)  
Wake me up inside  
(**I Can't wake up**)  
Wake me up inside  
(**Save me**)  
Call my name and save me from the dark  
(**Wake me up**)  
Bid my blood to run  
(**I Can't wake up**)  
Before I come undone  
(**Save me**)  
Save me from the nothing I've become  
Bring me to life

Frozen inside without your touch without you love  
Darling only you are the light among the dead

**All of this time I can't believe I couldn't see  
Kept in the dark but you were there in front of me**  
I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems  
Got to open my eyes to everything  
**Without a thought without a voice without a soul**  
Don't let me die here  
**There must be something more**  
Bring me to life...'

Ino paused for a second. Yume, noticing this, said kindly,

"Ino, how about I help you with the end notes? Okay?"

Ino nodded, smiling slightly. She nodded to Sasuke, signaling him to start singing again.

'(**wake me up**)  
Wake me up inside  
(**I Can't wake up**)  
Wake me up inside  
(**Save me**)  
Call my name and save me from the dark  
(**Wake me up**)  
Bid my blood to run  
(**I Can't wake up**)  
Before I come undone  
(**Save me**)  
Save me from the nothing I've become,  
(Bring)Bring... (me)me... (to)to... life...-'

Ino lost her breath, but for some reason, the end note carried on. Ino turned round to see Yume still singing. Neji, Tenten and Sasuke were also looking at her, shocked. When she finished, she noticed them looking at her and blushed red.

Tenten was the first to speak.

"Y-Yume, since when have you been able to sing like that?"

The girl in question dropped her head so that she was looking at her feet.

"...Well...always..." She said quietly.

Ino, noticing that the attention was no longer on her, said,

"Yeah right. I bet it was a one-off."

Yume looked up for a second, and then back down at her feet, upset. Ino continued,

"Why don't you prove you can sing? Because I won't believe it until I hear it myself."

Yume's sadness soon turned into anger. She decided to stand in front of her microphone, turned to Tenten, who she was closest to out of any of the band members, and mouthed,

"Skater Boy, Avril lavigne."

Tenten nodded, then Yume took hold of her guitar and began to blast the music out, giving it all she had, just to put Ino in her place.

'He was a boy, she was a girl  
Can I make it anymore obvious?  
He was a punk, she did ballet  
What more can I say?

He wanted her, she'd never tell but  
Secretly she wanted him as well.  
But all of her friends stuck up there nose  
They had a problem with his baggy clothes.

He was a skater boy, she said see ya later boy  
He wasn't good enough for her  
She had a pretty face, but her head was up in space  
She needed to come back down to earth.

Five years from now, she sits at home  
Feeding the baby  
She's all alone  
She turns on TV  
Guess who she sees  
Skater boy rockin' up MTV.

She calls up her friends, they already know  
And they've all got tickets to see his show  
She tags along and stands in the crowd  
Looks up at the man that she turned down.

He was a skater boy, she said see ya later boy  
He wasn't good enough for her  
Now he's a super star  
Slamin' on his guitar  
Does your pretty face see what he's worth?

He was a skater boy, she said see ya later boy  
He wasn't good enough for her  
Now he's a super star  
Slamin' on his guitar  
Does your pretty face see what he's worth?

Sorry girl but you missed out  
Well tough luck that boys mine now  
We are more than just good friends  
This is how the story ends

Too bad that you couldn't see  
See the man that boy could be  
There is more than meets the eye  
I see the soul that is inside

He's just a boy, and I'm just a girl  
Can I make it anymore obvious?  
We are in love, haven't you heard  
How we rock each others world

I'm with the skater boy, I said see ya later boy  
I'll be back stage after the show  
I'll be at a studio  
Singing the song we wrote  
About a girl you used to know!

I'm with the skater boy, I said see ya later boy  
I'll be back stage after the show  
I'll be at a studio  
Singing the song we wrote  
About a girl you used to kno-o-o-oooow!'

Yume finished, and took in a few deep breaths. The song had knocked a lot out of her, but it had been worth it because now Ino was so angry her face had turned red and Yume could swear she saw steam coming out of her ears. Tenten on the other hand, started clapping,

"Wow, Yume. That was awesome! You should do joint singing with Ino!"

Ino went scarlet and for some reason, Sasuke became angry too. Yume noticed and said, "Sasuke, what's wrong?"

Instead of saying anything, Sasuke walked towards Yume and stood in front of her, his face an inch from hers. Then with out warning, he drew back his hand and punch her full in the face. He said darkly,

"You're not being lead singer, you can't sing." Then he punched Yume in the stomach, knocking her to the ground. Ino looked shocked at first, but then she smirked and walked over, joining in the violent act by kicking Yume in the shins.

"Yeah, you aren't turning our band into a laughing stock by being main singer. Me and Sasuke are the main singers anyway!"

Sasuke and Ino continued to attack Yume - who was now lying defenceless on the ground, trying to cover her head from any of the blows.

oOo

"Sasori! Get up, yeah! Yume is in serious trouble! I'm going to go get the guys. You call for the limousine."

Sasori - who two seconds ago had been drifting off into his midday sleep - was now wide awake and dialing his phone. Deidara ran out of his bedroom door and along the corridor of his dormitory, down two flights of stairs and towards the science block. When he got through the building, he ran up to a door and banged on it urgently. He waited for a second, and then decided to barge in instead. In doing so, he slammed the door into the boy who had been about to open the door for him.

"Sorry, Kabuto, yeah."

The silver-haired boy from behind the door made a muffled noise which Deidara took as an 'It's okay,' then he turned to the green-haired teacher and said, "Aoi, can I take Itachi, Kisame and Hidan please? It's **very** urgent."

"Yes."

"Thanks, yeah."

So as the three boys were packing up their equipment, Deidara decided to hurry them along by pulling out one of his clay birds, throwing it over the boys and yelling,

"Katsu!"

It exploded with a loud bang, making half the students duck under their desks, whilst it didn't affect the three boys in the slightest.

"Damn it! You guys just made me waste a bomb and you didn't even flinch, yeah!"

Hidan yelled at him,

"Yeah, yeah, we're fucking com-"

"Hidan, language." Said the teacher. Hidan turned to look at him with his eyebrows raised. He blinked, stuck his middle finger up and yelled, "Fuck you, sir!"

Deidara yelled,

"Come on, yeah!"

The four males walked out of the room, not before Hidan hit Kabuto on the head on the way out. When they out of the room, Itachi put his hand on Deidara's shoulder, turned him round and asked,

"What's wrong?"

Deidara broke free of his friend's grip and said quickly,

"There's no time to explain, yeah!"

The other three males crossed their arms and Itachi stated plainly,

"We're not going until you tell us what's wrong."

Deidara stared at them.

_'Damn, now I wish I hadn't done all of those prank emergencies, yeah...'_

He put his hands on his head and nearly ripped out his hair at the thought of what Yume's so-called friends could be doing to her at that very moment.

"Look, there really is **no **time to explain, all I can say is that Yume is in **real** trouble and will end up in hospital if we don't help her A-S-A-P, yeah!"

Hidan dropped his hands first. He didn't say anything but ran straight past Deidara, out of the science-block to where he knew the limo would be waiting. Straight afterwords, Itachi and Kisame - along with Deidara - ran as fast as they could to the limousine. After the door was shut, Sasori, who was already waiting for them along with Tobi, told the driver where to go and then lay back in his seat. Tobi burst into tears and started hugging Deidara,

"Yume's dead!"

"No she's not, yeah! She's just in trouble!" Deidara said, trying to shove Tobi off him. Still holding Tobi's face in his hand, he turned to Sasori, "And why did you let Tobi come? He'll make everything worse!"

"Well you never said you didn't want him here."

"That's why I never went and got him, yeah!"

"Oh, so now you tell me." Sasori said with a blank expression.

The limo began to move and then it suddenly went into hyper drive. The Akatsuki were thrown back in their seats. Deidara managed to say,

"Sasori...when did...we get... turbo boosters? Yeah!"

"I got bored so I decided to have fun with the limo." Sasori replied, sitting back casually as the others were tossed around like puppets.

Deidara kept the small monitor screen in his lap as best he could, hardly taking his eyes off it. By now Yume was on the floor, bleeding from a lot of different places and totally unconscious.

_'Why won't they stop, yeah?'_

Within a minute, the limo had come to an abrupt halt and the Akatsuki were seen dashing out of the car, Deidara in the lead - being the only person who actually knew where Yume was. He ran up to the tall building, straight through the door, along the corridors and barged down the door to the rehearsal room. Deidara froze stiff - the same action repeated by the other members when they saw Yume's unconscious body lying on the ground, her face bruising and her clothes splattered in patches of red.

Ino looked round - her eyes demonic and filled with a rage of euphoria - whilst Sasuke continued to hurt the motionless figure on the ground. She stopped completely when she saw the six males stood in the doorway.

"He made me do it!" She cried, realising she was out of her depths. Sasuke turned to look at her with disgust on his face. Next he turned his head to see who he had just been sold out to, but before he could do much else he had been slammed into the wall - more than six meters away - and was being held there by a strong hand at his throat. Sasuke looked to see none other than his very own brother, Itachi.

"Now tell me little brother, why were you attacking a defenceless girl? Why not pick on someone a little stronger?" Itachi dug his nails into Sasuke's neck, making him scream in agony. Suddenly Itachi fell backwards having been unexpectedly slapped across the face by Ino, who yelled,

"Don't you dare touch my Sasuke-kun!"

Before Itachi could react, Kisame had run up and thrown his fist into the blonde girl's stomach, making her keel over and collapse to the floor, gagging and gasping for the breath that had been knocked from her. Itachi looked towards his friend and said,

"Why did you punch her?"

"I'm paid to protect you guys from **anyone**, girl or boy, adult or kid. You know that, Itachi."

"Yes, but still," He said, looking down stoically at the girl by his feet, "You did not have to hit her so hard."

"Oh yeah?" Kisame said, raising his eyebrow and pointing down. As soon as he'd said it the blonde girl began to get back up onto her feet. She coughed a little, rising shakily, then she gained her footing and ran at Kisame. He rolled his eyes. Hidan yelled from the side-lines,

"Hell yeah! Don't go leaving me out of a fight!" Before he could be stopped, the silver-haired singer ran towards Kisame and Ino, excitement and anger swirled together in his eyes. Just after him, Sasori and Deidara went to join Itachi with Sasuke - who seemed to have a lot more strength in him than what the young Uchiha made out. Tobi - being the only one not doing anything - decided to walk over to Neji and Tenten who were almost cowering in a corner. The brunette girl was crying her eyes out so Tobi asked,

"Hi! Tobi's name is Tobi! What's wrong miss...ermm...?"

"Tenten." She sniffed, "Sasuke and Ino started attacking Yume for no reason, we tried to get them to stop, but they wouldn't-" She began crying even worse, leaning on Neji. He looked at Tobi for some support. Tobi - being Tobi - walked over to Tenten with his arms spread wide, deciding to try and cheer her up.

"Come hither miss Tenten. I will take away your sorrow." He said in a gospel-preacher sort of voice. Neji just looked at him, not knowing whether or not to be scared - or rather whether or not to run. Tenten on the other hand, ran over to Tobi and jumped into his arms.

"Thank you Mister Tobi. Thank you for taking away my tears."

"There, there child. You will be okay now."

By this time, Neji had started to sneak off towards the door to make his escape. Tobi saw what he was doing and called to him - back in his usual childish voice,

"Neji, wait! Let Tobi take away your tears as well!" The boy began to run at Neji, who in turn, began to run away, screaming. "But Tobi can make you feel warm and fuzzy inside!"

"No!"

"But-"

"No you weirdo!"

"But I-"

"What part of NO don't you understand?"

He and Tobi ran around the perimeter of the hall in circles over and over before Neji finally gave in and let Tobi run straight into him. He grabbed hold of Neji and started hugging his head, singing,

"Tobi wins! Tobi wins! Tobi wins!"

-(Five minutes later)-

Itachi let Sasuke's body drop to the ground. He walked over to Kisame - who had finished with Ino a short while ago and said,

"Lets go."

"Right."

Both men walked towards the door. Deidara and Hidan walked over to Yume's limp body and both men decided to pick her up, much to the others disgust.

"I'll take her back to her school and tell them she will be going home, yeah."

"No you fucking won't! I will!"

Sasori walked up to both of them and said,

"Neither of you will. I am taking her-" He added, seeing their murderous looks, "-simply to stop both of you arguing."

Both of the boys stared at Sasori, anger obviously present.

"No you aren't, yeah!"

"Look, I **am **taking her. If she needs to rest, it is easier if we get her back to her house as soon as possible."

"Fine." both males answered defiantly.

Sasori stooped down and took Yume in his arms then walked out of the door, calling back, "Get the limo to the front of the school building."

"Right, yeah."

"Oh, and save those two from Tobi." Sasori said as he nodded towards Neji and Tenten, who were currently being glomped by Tobi.

"Tobi! Get over here you fucking idiot!"

"Coming!" Tobi said as he skipped towards Hidan. When he reached Hidan, the silver-haired man punched him on the head.

"Calm down, damn it!"

"Okay, okay! Don't hurt Tobi!"

Sasori sighed and walked off. He walked out of the building, across the road and down to the Yume's school. As he made it to the school gates, Yume began whimpering. She tried to turn over, but couldn't due to Sasori's arms. The redhead decided to hold her closer to his body, to try and comfort her somewhat. It seemed to work because she quietened down and even snuggled closer to him. Sasori was happy- not because she was hugging close to him, but rather that it was that little movement from her that made Sasori relax, knowing she wasn't in mortal danger.

Luckily all of the students were still in lessons so the red-head didn't have the problem of fan-girls. He walked into the main building and down the corridor, following the conveniently placed sign-post reading, 'Head teachers office'. Eventually he found the right room and- after changing Yume's position so he was holding her in one arm- knocked on the door and waited. The door opened and a lady with blonde hair and a **huge** chest looked at him.

"Hello? What do you want?" Then she noticed Yume in his arms. "What happened?"

Sasori looked at the woman in front of him.

"I presume that you are Tsunade, the headteacher here?"

"Yes, now tell me what happened to my student!"

"Yume had an incident at her band practice...-Sasuke Uchiha to be precise."

"Ah," was all the she said.

"So what are you going to do?"

Tsunade thought for a second.

"Well, punishing him wouldn't do anything, so maybe I should just let him deal with Amaya."

Sasori, after watching the black-haired girl from the small television screen, decided that leaving Sasuke in her hands was a fate worse than death. Perfect.

"That's fine. You should understand, I must take Yume home to rest now."

"Oh. Yes. Of course." Tsunade said quickly. Sasori gave a curt nod, picked Yume up properly again and then turned and left. As he walked back down the corridors everyone was still in lessons, so Sasori STILL didn't have to worry about fan-girls...or so he thought. As he turned a corner, he noticed a girl with blonde hair walking in his direction. She was walking with her head looking at her feet, probably thinking about school work. As they passed each other, the girl looked up, curious to see who she was walking past, and when she saw who it was she dropped her books on the floor. Sasori continued walking, although he noticed the girls reaction so he walked slightly faster. The girl called out,

"Hey! Are you Sasori?"

Sasori's pace quickened.

"Hey! Listen to me!"

He began to jog.

"Hey! No one ignores Victoria! Get back here Mister!" The girl began to run after him. In turn, Sasori ran faster down the hallways. As he ran, the girl yelled -as he had been expecting-

"Sasori! I love you, you're friggin' hot!"

Sasori could see the door ahead of him so he ran, listening to 'Victoria' closing in. She was inches behind him. Luckily, he cleared the door and slammed it close with his foot. He smirked slightly when he heard the girl collide with the closed door, and the squeak of her sliding down it.

Sasori walked back through the school gates and into the limo.

oOo

It drove them back to their school. Itachi, Hidan Kisame and Tobi went back to their lessons, whilst Sasori and Deidara took Yume back to their room, since it was their free period.

When they were in the room Sasori lowered Yume's body onto his bed, then he said to Deidara, glancing over his shoulder,

"Go and get a wet sponge."

"Right."

The blonde did as instructed and then, much to Deidara's happiness, Sasori told him to clean Yume's bruises so he took the sponge and dabbed gently at her skin. She whimpered a few times, making Deidara want to wrench his own heart out for hurting her. When he was finished, Sasori pulled the covers up over Yume's body, and then both boys went off to their third period.

* * *

_Hope you enjoyed :)_ _Review!_

_X-Deidara's Lover-X_


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own the Akatsuki or anyone else from Naruto

Claimer: I do however, own Yume and Amaya so if I see them in any of your stories the-

Deidara: Sarah, they already know, yeah!

Me: (glares) don't cut me off! (Turns to reader) Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 6

Yume lay still in the bed, sleeping gently. After quite a considerable amount of time her eyes finally opened. She tried to sit up, but was gently pushed back down by a hand. That hand belonged to none other than Hidan. He said softly,

"Don't try to move too fucking fast or you'll hurt yourself." ...tourettes. Don't blame Hidan. He is _trying_ to be nice.

"Oh...okay." She looked around. "Hidan, where am I? How did I get here?"

Hidan sat down on the end of the bed and scratched the back of his head.

"Well..." He sighed, "I don't know the whole story, but your band mates attacked you for some reason or another, then we came to your rescue, because we're fucking awesome-!"

Yume laughed, making something in Hidan's throat stop him from talking for a second. He gave a small smile, then continued,

"Yeah... so... we saved you from those lot, then we brought you here to rest."

Yume nodded her head, thinking things over.

"Well... alright," She sat up again, "I'd better get going then; school is going to be wondering where I am."

Hidan shook his head, pushing her down to the bed again.

"Not really. We told your headteacher that we were taking you home."

"So why am I not at _home_?"

"Because our beds are fucking comfier."

"Have you ever **been** in my bed?"

"No... why? Do you want me to be in your bed with you tonight?"

Yume's face flushed red.

"N-no... I didn't mean that. I-"

Yume stopped when she saw people in the doorway. She turned her head and saw all of the Akatsuki boys stood looking back at her. Itachi smirked.

"We're not interrupting anything are we?"

"N-no." Yume said, her face still slightly red, "Hey. Can you guys explain what happened to me? Hidan tried, but he got a little sidetracked."

Hidan raised his eyebrows suggestively, giving her a little wink - which she tried her best to ignore. The rest of the boys entered the room fully; Deidara and Hidan occupying the end of her bed, whilst Itachi, Sasori, and Tobi stood around it. Kisame was busy in the corner, piling a plate full of food from the buffet - yes, Akatsuki are _that rich_ that they can have buffets in their bedrooms. Each boy told their version of the story to Yume. When it got to Deidara and Sasori's turn, Sasori forced Deidara to tell Yume about the clay birds...

"What?" Yume's eyes shot wide, "YOU PERVERTS! HOW COULD YOU?"

Deidara covered his ears.

"We only did it to watch over you. It was for your own protection, yeah."

Yume glared,

"WHO CARES?"

Deidara shrugged suddenly, sitting back on the bedpost,

"Fine then, yeah. Next time we see you getting the shit beaten out of you, we wont come and help!"

Itachi raised his hand to interrupt, seeing bad things about to kick off that Yume didn't need right now.

"Deidara, that won't be happening. Sasori and myself were discussing this in our last lesson, we are going to-"

Itachi stopped suddenly. He turned his head to the open door, hearing a noise from outside. He asked softly,

"Did you hear that?"

"Yeah." Kisame said, putting his plate on the ground and cracking his knuckles. If there was going to be a fight, he was going to be first one to punch someone in the bal- first one to stop the fight.

There was a bang from just down the corridor. The boys readied themselves. Suddenly, Yume saw something black roll past the door; it had been too fast to see properly. Then she heard a 'clang', as if something had just collided with metal, then she heard a voice say hysterically,

"Y-Yume... you're so hard and cold... you're dead! How could they do this to you? Speak to me Yume!"

_**'Stupid girl...'**_

The boys looked between one another, shocked. Yume cleared her throat, then called,

"I'm in here!"

There was silence for a second, then a small voice said,

"Damn... not Yume. It's a radiator...-who the hell turns off a heater in February?"

Yume saw the black thing again, but got a better look because the thing stopped in the doorway. It was Amaya...commando rolling... wearing a spy outfit... with...

"Amaya...why are you wearing a rucksack? And are those heat-vision goggles?"

The girl in question ignored Yume's questions. She took off her goggles, the hidden microphone and black beanie-hat, then yelled,

"Ha! I've found you, Yume! I was so worried about you! You never came back to school and I thought you were dead s- OHMYGOD! There's a buffet in here!" She stepped into the room, "OH MY GOD THERE'S MUFFINS!"

Amaya completely forgot about her friend in the bed and ran straight over to the buffet table, grabbed a plate and began piling it up with as many muffins as possible. Yume rolled her eyes.

"Thanks Amaya..." She turned to Kisame, "If you don't want her hyper, I would suggest not letting her eat those muffins."

Kisame gulped.

"S-she's not hyper now?"

Yume shook her head. Kisame, fearing for his life, jumped on top of Amaya and seized the plate from her. Amaya, in turn, grabbed hold of Kisame's head and started banging it on the floor, screaming,

"Gimme' back my muffins you bastard! If you don't, I'm turning your face into fish-paste!"

As this little scene carried on, Yume said to the others,

"Everyone, this is Amaya, my psychotic best friend."

"Yeah, we know-" Deidara pointed to one of his clay birds by the side of his bed, "Clay birds, remember, yeah."

"Oh yeah," Yume clenched her jaw, "I forgot."

Just then there was a scream. Yume looked at Amaya and said, deciding to save Kisame,

"Amaya... how exactly did you find me?"

The black-haired girl dropped Kisame's head and bounded over to the bed. She pushed Deidara and Hidan off and made herself comfortable, then she began by saying,

"Well, I was on my way to Mister Sarutobi's maths class..."

(flashback)

_Amaya was walking down the corridor with her I-pod blasting out music, when she heard lots of screaming and talking. She pulled out her headphones and ran to see what was going on. She arrived at a large group of people, all surrounding one person – Sasuke._

"_Get the hell out of the way!" Amaya said as she pushed and shoved her way through the crowd to hear what Sasuke was saying. When she got near to the front, she could her Sasuke saying,_

"_-yeah, we beat the crap out of her."_

_Amaya asked the person next to her,_

"_Who did he beat up?"_

"_That girl who sang with Akatsuki," Said the person. Amaya froze. She listened to the next part of the conversation. A boy asked,_

"_So how come you've got a black eye, Sasuke?"_

"_I-...I walked into a door."_

_Amaya glared at Sasuke. He continued by saying,_

"_There was blood everywhere, but she shouldn't have stepped out of line. She couldn't even sing!" He flipped his hand, "She was lip-syncing at the concert, I bet."_

_The small cage that had Amaya's inner demon inside, shattered. Amaya walked to the front of the group so she was stood next to Sasuke. She asked, trying to keep calm,_

"_Who did you beat up?"_

_Sasuke turned to her and smirked,_

"_Yume."_

"_Who...?"_

"_Y-"_

_(A/N: I'm sorry, Sasuke can't talk right now because he is lying on the floor, his hand between his legs, screaming, "Augh! My balls! My beautiful balls!" and Amaya is stood over him with her foot raised.) _

_Amaya bent over and began punching him in the face repeatedly, yelling at him with a demonic expression on her face,_

"_You... Fucking... gay lord!...Beating...a...defenceless...girl!...Especially...one...who is...my best friend!... Go...die!"_

_Amaya grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and yelled in his face,_

"_Where the fuck is she?"_

"_I'm not telling you." Sasuke said with a bloody mouth, a black eye and a couple of teeth missing. Amaya raised her fist to punch him again so Sasuke said quickly, "Akatsuki took her away!"_

"_And where can I find them? And don't try telling me that you don't know, because I know Itachi is your brother!"_

"_Konoha private academy..."_

"_Good." And with that, Amaya punched Sasuke's lights out._

(flashback end)

"And there you have it!" Amaya finished. Yume pointed at her friend's face and asked,

"So how did you get the black eye?"

"Ah, well..."

(Flashback)

_'Amaya let go of Sasuke and got up, only to be pushed back down by another girl. She had black hair and one hell of a temper. She slapped Amaya and cried,_

"_How dare you hurt my Sasuke-kun! You will pay for what you've done!"_

_The girl dived on Amaya, and the two began to scream and attack each other violently. A few of the teachers had gathered around, deciding it was best not to get involved, because it __**was**_ _Amaya who was fighting after all.'_

(Flashback end)

"Yeah...so..." Amaya scratched the back of her head and laughed. Since the boys had been totally into her story, Itachi asked,

"So who won in the end?"

"Well... we kind of drew. Tsunade stopped us before we could do anything- Stupid woman!"

The room went silent. Itachi, remembering what he had started saying almost ten minute ago, turned to Amaya and said,

"It's a good thing that you're here, we needed to discuss something with you."

"Okay..."

"We can't look after Yume twenty-four-seven so Sasori and myself decided that you will help us out by being a bodyguard, along with Kisame, for her - and us if needs be."

Amaya jumped up and down, clapping her hands,

"Oh my god! Really? Can I have some sunglasses? And a peashooter! And-"

"Yes. You can have what you want, as long as you look after Yume."

"And am I getting paid?"

"No. You don't have to be paid to protect your best friend."

"I do! If I don't get paid, Yume don't get saved!"

Kisame started laughing.

"I like this kid."

Amaya turned and looked at the blue-skinned guy.

"Amaya." She stuck out her hand.

"Kisame." He shook her hand.

"Ah, so you're the guy I'm going to be working with. I think this will be interesting."

"Agreed." Kisame said, smirking. Sasori told Amaya,

"We will pay you ten pounds a week."

"...HELL YEAH!...but do you think I could get paid more?"

"No."

There was silence as Amaya thought it over, and then,

"...fine."

oOo

Yume, Amaya and the boys were all sat around a table that had been conveniently placed in the centre of Deidara and Sasori's bedroom. Itachi sat at the head of the table, eating hardly anything, whereas Amaya and Kisame sat at the foot of the table, scoffing their faces with everything, including - to Yume's utmost horror - muffins. Any second now Amaya would go into the annoying state she goes into when she's had muffins...

"Oi! Dickhead...yes, Yume, I mean you! Throw us another muffin!"

Bitch mode. Yume looked at Amaya for a second then shook her head.

"Not a chance in hell."

Amaya shook her fist.

"Damn you, woman!...damn you!" Then Amaya burst out laughing, then she fell asleep, banging her head on the table. Yume sweat dropped. She turned to Hidan, who was sat next to her, and said,

"Thank you for rescuing me, by the way."

"Hey, no fucking problem, cutie."

Deidara, who was sat on the other side of Yume, glared daggers at him. The second Yume was gone Deidara was going to rip out Hidan's throat.

Speaking of which...

"Guys," Yume said, "I think I should go home now."

Sasori pointed out,

"It is only lunch time. You could stay here until later this evening if you want to."

"No. It's okay." Yume's face dropped, "I... have to get back to my parents, they'll be wondering where I am."

Deidara started, remembering he hadn't seen Yume's parents yesterday and thought they were on holiday,

"Bu-" But Sasori stepped on his foot from across the table. There was a 'shut up' look on his face. Deidara didn't know if Sasori knew something he didn't, but he decided to keep his mouth shut. Sasori gave Yume a smile,

"Would you like us to drive you home?"

"It's okay. I don't want you to miss school because of me."

"Don't worry, we all have a free period next." Hidan said, lying through his teeth. Yume smiled,

"Okay then! If you don't mind that is."

"No we don't, yeah."

Yume looked at Amaya's sleeping form. She laughed.

"Can you drop her off at our school first?"

"Yes. Of course." Replied Itachi, "We'd better go now if we want to make the next lesson."

"Right," Kisame said. He stood up, grabbed Amaya and slung her over his shoulder, then walked out of the room. Everyone stood up. As Yume did so she got a sharp pain in her stomach and nearly fell over, but didn't quite because Deidara managed to catch her. He picked her up and carried her in his arms. Yume said nervously,

"I-It's okay. I can walk, you know."

Deidara smirked playfully, holding her in closer to his body,

"Yeah, but I don't trust you to not fall over and hurt yourself."

It was Hidan's turn to give the evil glare from across the room.

The guys walked through the school building, getting stares from other students who were all going to and from lessons. They reached the school gates and got into the limo.

oOo

Ten minutes later they had almost arrived at Amaya's school, so she need to be woken up. This task had been given to Tobi because earlier Yume had given the advise,

"Amaya is a demon when she gets woken up..." so whatever evil monster was going to be awoken, it was up to Tobi to defeat it.

The brave - or stupid - boy crawled across the seats to Amaya and shook her shoulder. She turned over and ignored him. Tobi shook her with both hands, a little more violently. Amaya turned over. Her eyes shot open. She said with a dark voice,

"Who...woke me up?" Amaya knew it wouldn't have been Yume - she wasn't that stupid - so she turned to the guys. Since they were all so far away from her, she knew Yume had told them about her inner morning-monster, so there was only one person in the limo who would be stupid enough to wake her up. Amaya's eyes turned to Tobi. He was sat in a corner, his eyes to the ceiling, twiddling his thumbs and whistling. Not suspicious at all.

Amaya got up slowly. She picked up the closest thing to her; a sake bottle. She lifted it above her head and then threw it as hard as she could at Tobi. Luckily for Tobi, although being stupid, he had a very high reaction time, so he ducked just in time for the bottle to fly over his head and smash into the limo wall. Tobi gave a sigh of relief.

"That was clos-... Auughh!"

Amaya dived on him and shoved him out of the limo door. She jumped out after him and raised her fist to punch him, but when she tried to lower her fist, she was stopped by another hand over hers. She looked up to see Itachi. He said calmly,

"Amaya, that is enough, I think."

Her eyes grew wide.

"Y-yes Itachi... sorry." For some strange reason, Amaya had gone very quiet. The only person knowing why was Yume. She thought to herself,

**'**_**HA! You're in love with Itachi! Ha! You can't laugh at me now!**_**'** A smirk made its way onto her face. Itachi said,

"You'd better get going, or else you're going to be late."

Amaya laughed, finding it funny that someone actually though she cared about her school-career,

"I don't really care."

"I do. Now, get a move on."

"Damn...fine." Amaya stood up, brushed herself off and said,

"How about a kiss goodbye?"

"No."

"Don't be mean!"

"No."

"Please! I won't ask again!"

"...fine."

"WHAT, REALLY?" Amaya ran up to Itachi, grabbed hold of his shirt, pulled him down and put her lips to his. Amaya's eyes glazed over with happiness.

Although Amaya was having a wonderful time, it was cut short because Itachi managed to pull away. The other guys were laughing and wolf-whistling, but Itachi didn't really care. He said calmly,

"Go."

Amaya, with a large smile on her face, began **skipping** towards the school gates, singing happily. Yume laughed and Itachi looked at her. She blushed and said quietly,

"Sorry."

Hidan put his hand on her shoulder and said protectively,

"Don't apologise. It was fucking funny," He laughed at Itachi, "He's got himself a psychotic fan-girl!"

"Sorry."

Hidan looked down at Yume,

"Damn it! Stop apologising!"

"Sorry... oh! I mean..."

Hidan clamped his hand over her mouth then walked her back over to the limo.

"We'd better go before a snitching-fucker sees you here and tell your headteacher!"

The other guys nodded in agreement. Hidan picked Yume up and practically threw her into the limo, then he dived in after her. Deidara nearly threw one of his bombs at Hidan, but then decided best not to. He didn't want to have to pay for a new limo. So the group loaded back into the limousine and then they set off.

oOo

Once they'd reached Yume's house, Itachi said,

"We'll see you again soon, to check up on you, alright? Amaya should be able to look after you until then."

Yume nodded her head thankfully; inwardly screaming with happiness - despite what had happened - because Akatsuki were actually genuinely concerned for her!

"T-thanks."

Itachi nodded. They all said goodbye to her, then Sasori walked her to her house, making sure she was completely fine, and then walked back to the limo and left with the others.

Yume waved them off. She walked back inside her house and closed the door, then she walked up the stairs and into her bathroom, removing pieces of clothing as she went. She stepped into the cold marble shower and turned on the shower head. Yume yelped out in pain as the freezing water hit her cuts and bruises, but as the water warmed up, the sting went away and Yume's muscles relaxed slowly. She gave a large sigh. Yume picked up the bar of soap and began to make a lather in her hands. She rubber the bar of soap over her body and then washed it off later. Then she took the shampoo and rubbed it into her scalp, singing lightly.

When she had finished, she turned off the shower and stepped out, wrapping herself in a towel. When she had dried off enough she opened the bathroom door and walked along the hallway to her room. Yume drew the curtains then let her towel drop to the floor. She walked over to her oak wardrobe and flung the doors open.

Moments later she closed them again, now wearing an old-fashioned blue dress with white lace along the sleeves, as a tie at the back of the corset and as petticoat for below the skirt, knee-length stripy socks and blue sandal platforms. She limped over to her dressing table and put her wet hair up into two messy pigtails then grabbed her eye-liner and put on just enough to make her eyes stand out. If anyone who didn't know Yume had seen her, they would have expected the blonde to have been going to a party; though in actual fact she was just wearing her indoor clothing. She would never be seen outside in these kind of things; not because she didn't want to, but because if she did wear them there was no doubt she would be beaten into a small bloody pulp by other kids. Since she had already been attacked today, there was _**no **_chance of her even stepping one foot out of her front-door wearing this dress.

Yume put all of those thoughts aside, put down the eye-liner pencil and hobbled over to her CD player. She grabbed the closest CD case - which happened to be 'The Art of Breaking' by Thousand Foot Krutch - and put it into her CD player. She changed the track to her favourite song, Move, then skipped into the centre of the room. The music began to play out, and Yume lay down on her bedroom floor, singing loudly to let all of the day's stresses melt away.

-(2 hours later. 5:00 pm)-

Yume switched off her CD player and pulled herself up, breathing heavily. Her lungs were burning desperately. She looked at her clock, then sat up again.

_'I need some ice-cream.'_

She made her way over to her door but before walking out of it, she blew a kiss to the poster of Akatsuki then laughed at herself. The whole day seemed somewhat like a dream...- but there was no way it could have been. The black eye made itself very visible on Yume's pale face.

She took longer getting down the stairs, making sure not to trip on legs that just wouldn't stop shaking, across the hallway, through the living-room and into the kitchen. She rummaged in the freezer for a while then pulled out a tub of cookie dough ice-cream. She closed the door with her foot, grabbed a spoon then headed into the front room. She fell backwards onto the sofa and switched on her television. Her favourite program was about to start - Dora the Explorer. She'd watched it all time when she was younger, and had just never grown out of it.

She just-in-so opened the tub of cookie dough ice-cream, when there was a knock at her door. Yume sighed, annoyed, got up and marched - well attempted to, but looked rather ridiculous with a limp - through to the door, holding her cookie-dough ice-cream. She opened the door a fraction - not wanting to scare anyone away with her appearance - and saw her friend, Amaya, stood shivering with her bags at her feet.

"Hi Yume! I... kind of got chucked out... -Can I stay with you?"

The door was slammed in Amaya's face. Yume's brain was reasoning with itself, her back resting firmly against the door,

**'**_**There is no way Amaya is living with us! As much as we love her... there is no way in hell we're living with her! She'll drive us insane!'**_ And to prove Yume's point, she could hear Amaya singing,

"Yume! Don't leave me out here~! Don't leave me all alone on Valentine's day!"

Yume rolled her eyes. She called through the door,

"Amaya, it's valentine's day tomorrow."

"Yeah!" She said defensively, "...but it's practically valentine's day! It's valentine's day eve! ...So... don't leave me out in the cold, all alone, on Valentine's day eve~!" She was trying her best to sound cold and upset, though failing quite badly.

Yume, knowing all too well that Amaya would never _ever_ give up, decided it best just to let her in for the night and then try and find her some place to go tomorrow. Yume opened the door and said,

"Okay, Amaya. You can sta-"

"Great!" Amaya said as she took the cookie dough from Yume. She clicked her fingers and said, "My bags. Your room. Go!"

She walked through the door with Yume's ice-cream in hand, into the living-room, where she lay down on the sofa and yelled,

"DORA THE EXPLORER! HELL YEAH! SHE'S MY HERO!"

Even given the situation Yume still managed to laugh. She took hold of some of Amaya's luggage and carried it through her house, up the stairs and into her bedroom. She did this a few times and then walked into the living-room and collapsed heavily on the sofa next to her friend. Amaya, with a spoon-full of ice-cream in her mouth, said,

"What's wrong?"

Yume glared at her friend. Amaya asked innocently,

"What?"

"Doesn't matter..."

"Oh good!" Amaya said happily, "In that case, I'm having your bedroom. Thank you!" Amaya hugged her friend and smiled happily. Yume just sighed. There was no point trying to reason with Amaya.

The two friends spent the next hour watching Dora the Explorer together, Yume getting an occasional spoonful of cookie dough ice-cream now and then. After the program had finished, Yume turned to Amaya and asked,

"So why did you get thrown out? I never asked before."

Amaya scratched the back of her head sheepishly, laughing as she remembered,

"Well..." Amaya began explaining, "I'd just got back from school, you see. I went up to my room, then I heard my mum and step-dad talking- well, mum was talking and Shaun was yelling. Didn't sound too good. I went down to see what they were arguing about. When I got down to the kitchen, where they were, Shaun had my mum by her wrist. She was crying." -Yume gasped- "Well, I wanted to protect mum, so I grabbed the closest thing to me. I yelled '_Shaun! Let her go or I shall..._' And then I realised I'd picked up a wooden spoon, '._..spoon you!_' He didn't let go of mum, but didn't really do anything else apart from look at me, then he goes, '_You what_?'. I ran at him... it got a little crazy. In the end mum was laughing and Shaun was angry. He yelled at me," Amaya imitated her stepfather in a deep, droning voice, " '_Amaya, you don't attack me with a spoon, or anything for that matter! Get out of this house!_' I turned to mum, and all she could say was, '_Well, I have to agree... you cost too much. It'll be good for you moving out_.' I was like, '_Yeah...thanks mum._' Then I got my stuff and went."

Yume laughed loudly at the end.

"So you got thrown out because you attacked Shaun with a wooden-spoon?"

"Yeah." She laughed too, realising the funny side of it, "But it shows how appreciative mum was... She agreed with him to kick me out!" Amaya sighed, "Ah well... At least now I get to live with you!" She said, clapping her hands.

Yume laughed half-heartedly, flopping back against her seat again.

"Oh joy..."

Amaya stuck her tongue out, then looked around a moment later,

"So..." She clapped her hands together, "Lets go get the bedrooms sorted out!"

oOo

So Yume and Amaya moved Amaya's bedding and pillow onto Yume's bed, then they moved all of Amaya's extra belongings into one of the spare rooms downstairs. Yume moved her pillow and bedsheets downstairs to the sofa. There _was_ another bed in the house, yes, but there was no way Yume would ever sleep in that room, and Amaya didn't blame her. That bedroom belonged to her parents.

So Yume set out her bed on the cream sofa in her living-room. When she was done, she made some ramen - practically the only thing she could make successfully - then called Amaya into the kitchen, then they ate and talked for hours. By the time they had finished, it was already 21:30. Since it was school the next day for Amaya (Yume didn't have to go in because she was still badly injured), they decided to turn in. Amaya went upstairs and into Yume's bedroom, and Yume made herself comfortable on the sofa.

oOo

(12:30 am)

The front door was unlocked and quietly swung open. A head popped round the corner, checking to see if anyone was around. There was silence. The figure crept through the house and over to the staircase, walking straight past the living-room where Yume was currently sleeping. The person slunk up the staircase, along the corridor and into Yume's bedroom. They looked at the bed and saw the covers moving up and down as the occupant breathed steadily. The person smiled. They took a small box from under their jacket and placed it on the bed-side table. The figure walked over to the window and unlatched it. As they were climbing out of it, the figure accidentally kicked over Yume's guitar. It made a bang on the floor. Two seconds later, the person had been dragged back into the room, slammed onto the floor and was currently being attacked by something. They managed to crawl over to the light switch and turn it on.

Amaya, who had just gone to pick up a baseball bat, stopped and stared at the figure. She hissed,

"Deidara! What the hell are you doing here?"

Deidara, who was just as shocked as Amaya, replied,

"I could ask you the same question, yeah! This is Yume's bedroom!"

"Yeah. But I moved in, so Yume's sleeping downstairs. So why are you here then?"

A small blush tinted Deidara's cheeks, too small for Amaya to notice.

"I came to give Yume her Valentine's present, yeah..."

Amaya got the wrong idea.

"YOU SICK PERVERT! THAT IS NOT A PRESENT YUME WOULD WANT! NOT FOR VALENTINE'S OR ANY OTHER TIME!"

"W-what?" Deidara said, confused. Then he realised what Amaya was on about. Maybe coming at _night_ hadn't been the best idea.

"Amaya...I wasn't going to do _that_, yeah! I only came at night because it was easie-" Deidara couldn't say anything else because he had been slammed to the floor with Amaya's hands around his neck. He fell into the light switch, turning it off.

It was flicked on again five minutes later, by Yume. She looked at the sight in front of her; Deidara on the floor, Amaya on top of him with her hands around his neck, trying to strangle him. When they both noticed Yume in the doorway, they looked at her. Amaya jumped off Deidara and began trying to explain, failing miserably. Deidara stepped in,

"Yume... I was trying to plant another clay bird." He said, lying, "To protect you, yeah."

Amaya looked at him with a 'yeah right' look on her face. Yume, on the other hand, seemed to believe him. She sighed, yawned, then said sleepily,

"Thank you Deidara, but... couldn't you have waited until morning?"

"Well... I guess, yeah." He replied, standing in front of the table that had his gift on it. He grabbed it with his hands behind his back.

"Well, I'd better get going then. Sorry by the way, yeah. See you around."

And with that, Deidara walked over to the open window and jumped out of it. He landed on the earth below with a 'thud' and then walked away.

Amaya laughed. Yume looked at her and asked,

"What?"

"Deidara. He brought you a valentine's gift. I guess he hoped you wouldn't find it 'til morning. When you came in though, he grabbed it and hid it behind his back, then took it with him."

Yume was shocked. She couldn't believe that Deidara, one of the world-famous members of Akatsuki, would be even faintly interested in her like _that_. She'd been dreaming of something like this for years! It was strange to think it was actually true- wait, maybe the Valentine's gift had been a pity-gift? Maybe because he felt sorry she'd been beaten up or something and wanted to make her feel better? Yeah, that'd be it.

"I-I..." Yume rubbed her eyes, deciding she was too tired to be bothered, "I'm going back to bed. See you in the morning."

Amaya nodded, walking back over to the bed, "Alright, night."

Yume walked back downstairs and - after closing and locking the front door - went the living room. She jumped into bed, and after thinking of what had just happened, fell asleep.

oOo

(3:30 am)

The front door was unlocked and quietly swung open. A head popped round the corner, checking to see if anyone was around. There was silence. The figure crept through the house, and over to the staircase, walking straight past the living-room where Yume was currently sleeping. The person slunk up the staircase, along the corridor and into Yume's bedroom. They looked at the bed and saw the covers moving up and down as the occupant breathed steadily. The figure smirked- Déjà vu anyone? They crept over to her bedside table and pulled out a small box from under their jacket. The figure put it down and turned to leave, but before they could, a figure jumped on them, screaming,

"Not again! Go to hell, God damn you!"

oOo

When Yume flicked on the light switch, she was shocked by the sight in front of her. Amaya was on the floor, Hidan on top of her with his hands around her neck. She yelled to her friend,

"Save me!"

Yume laughed.

When Hidan had gotten off Amaya, she explained,

"This idiot woke me up. I attacked him, but he was kind of..."

"What? I can't hear you?" Said Yume.

"He was too frickin' strong! He decided to attack me instead!"

Yume and Amaya glared at Hidan. He said defensively,

"She fucking attacked me! What the fuck else was I supposed to do?" He said, pointing to a small bump on his head, "She hit me here!"

Amaya burst out laughing. Hidan glared at her, then when Yume cleared her throat, he looked at her instead. She asked,

"So Hidan... what are you doing here?"

He said plainly,

"I came to give you a Valentine's gift."

Yume's face turned bright red.

"R-r-really?"

"Hell yeah." He replied. He walked over to Yume's bed-side table and picked up the small box. He handed it to Yume and said,

"Happy Valentine's."

"T-thanks." She said. She took the box from Hidan and opened it. Inside was an elegant necklace, made with a large diamond stone - she didn't dare think if it was real or not - encrusted in a heart-shaped setting. She stared at it for a second, then looked at Hidan, her eyes wide and shimmering,

"Thank you... It's amazing."

Hidan smirked.

"Well, only the best for-"

Amaya hit him on the head. She yelled angrily,

"Why do you have to go and screw stuff up?"

"What the fuck are you on about, you crazy bitch?" He complained, rubbing his bruised head. Amaya yelled again,

"Deidara already came with a Valentine's gift for her!"

"And what's so bad about that? My gift is probably better."

Amaya looked at Yume, then shoved her out of the room, yelling, "Go to bed!" Then she turned back to Hidan and said,

"Well, Yume isn't very good at rejecting people, so now she's going to be all upset and not know what to do with herself! She'll wander round the house deciding what to do! It's going to be so annoying!"

Hidan laughed a little,

"So what? You can live with it."

"Oh," Amaya said grimly, "That's not the bad part."

Hidan turned his full attention on Amaya, seeing her face unnaturally serious. She continued.

"Eight Valentine's days ago was the last day Yume ever saw her parents..."

* * *

_Dun dun duuuuunnn! Another little cliffhanger! You'll get to know about Yume's past in the next chapter._

_Deidara__: Oh... and won't that be fun, yeah?_

_Me__: (sticks tongue out) Fine! _you _don't have to read it!_

_Deidara__: Good._

_Me__: ...(mumbles about beating Deidara to death)... Ah well. BYE GUYS! SEE YOU NEXT TIME!_

_X-Deidara's Lover-X_


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: NO! FOR THE LAST TIME! I DO NOW OWN ANY OF THE NARUTO CHARACTERS! It's so unfair...

Claimer: I do own Yume and Amaya and anyone not found in Naruto!

Deidara: Readers, you will be happy to know I have kept Sarah off the cookie-dough for the whole time she was writing this chapter, so there is NO stupidity, yeah

Me: Weeeee~ll... I sort of...you know... had some when you weren't looking. (smiles sweetly)

Deidara: (Glares) Great, yeah. (picks Sarah up, then looks at readers) Sorry, I have to go throw Sarah in a very DEEP and very COLD river, yeah.

Me: NOOOOOOO! (tries to claw at ground) SAVE ME!

* * *

Chapter 7

_Recap:_

_Amaya looked at Yume, then shoved her out of the room, yelling, "Go to bed!" Then she turned back to Hidan and said,_

_"Well, Yume isn't very good at rejecting people, so now she's going to be all upset and not know what to do with herself! She'll wander round the house deciding what to do! It's going to be so annoying!"_

_Hidan laughed a little,_

_"So what? You can live with it."_

_"Oh," Amaya said grimly, "That's not the bad part."_

_Hidan turned his full attention on Amaya. She continued._

_"Eight Valentine's days ago was the last day Yume ever saw her parents..."_

oOo

Hidan asked, slightly wary,

"What the fuck happened to Yume's parents?"

Amaya took hold of Hidan's arm and made him sit on the bed. She sat down next to him and started to explain, her voice in a very serious manner, nothing like her usual, happy voice.

"Okay. To be totally honest with you, Yume was an accident. Her parents never actually wanted her. When Yume was born, they tried to abandon her in a care-home, but it didn't work out and she ended up back with them. Since then, her parents fed her, clothed her, gave her a roof to live under, but they never actually loved her-"

"How the fuck do you know all of this shit?"

"Well... I found out all at once...but I'm getting there so wait!"

Hidan recoiled a little, scared of Amaya's wrath. She continued.

"When Yume started infant school, she met me, we became friends, and all was good. A couple of years later, I started noticing bruises all over Yume, some darker than others. She kept getting more bruises for at least a year. One day, valentine's day, I decided to follow her home, because she never let me round to her house for some reason."

"Had you ever seen her parents before?"

"Sshh! And yes, occasionally. I thought I knew them quite well."

"Right..."

"Shut up!"

Amaya sighed.

"So. When I got to her house, I snuck in round the back. I heard loads of screaming, so I went in and saw Yume cowering in a corner with her dad attacking her. He had a pink card in one hand and a small black box in the other, and was yelling stuff about how Yume wasn't allowed a boyfriend." Hidan's eyes widened. "Well...although I was only seven years old, I still had a bad temper."

Hidan laughed slightly.

"That I can believe."

"Yeah. Anyway, I kind of yelled a bit, then Yume's dad picked her up and threw her at me. He yelled everything about how she was an accident, how they had tried abandoning her...how she was worthless. Then his wife came in and they said, 'We're leaving.' Yume burst into tears so I went over and hugged her. And in that time, her parents went outside, got in the car and left. Forever. Leaving Yume all alone." Amaya rubbed her eye, trying to stay awake. "...Now you know why I'm so protective over Yume. I-"

She paused. Hidan looked at her.

"What?"

"Well... I kind of act as Yume's parents as well as her friend. If she ever gets into trouble, I'll always help her out. I look after her...most of the time." Amaya laughed, remembering what she had done at school. The whole Sasuke incident.

Hidan didn't even bother asking. He though about what Amaya had just said, then said,

"So...Yume is going to be a little fragile tomorrow, right."

"Yeah. But she's not going to be in school tomorrow, so it might not be so bad."

"Why wont she be in schoo-"

"Injuries."

"Oh...yeah."

Amaya looked at the clock and said, yawning,

"Hidan...fuck off. It's 4:00 am, I'm tired and I have school tomorrow."

"Fuck you, so do I!"

"Well why the hell are you here in the first place?"

"To give Yume a valentine's gift first...since she'll probably be getting loads."

"Well...not really."

"She will get a good few. She's become a little more famous since last valentine's."

Amaya laughed.

"Oh yeah. I forgot," Amaya smacked herself in the forehead, "This is going to be annoying... She's going to be worrying about how to reject you, Deidara, and now the rest of the frickin' world! " She looked at Hidan. "Now fuck off!"

"I'm not going to get rejected, bitch!"

"I'll make her reject you if I have to!"

Amaya grabbed hold of Hidan, pulled him over to the window and pushed him. He tried to catch his balance, but failed miserably and fell out of the open window. He hit the ground below, rubbed his backside and yelled to Amaya,

"Fuck you, bitch!"

Amaya gave him the finger then closed the window, turned off the light and went to bed.

oOo

Hidan arrived back at his school for 4:30 am. He sneaked past the security guards with ease, then climbed the wall to his room (at least thirty meters up). When he had heaved himself through the window, he collapsed onto his bed, breathing heavily. The door to the bathroom opened and a boy with brown skin and even darker brown shaggy hair, walked out. He asked,

"Hidan, why didn't you just go through the building? You know they don't bother locking the doors any more."

Hidan looked at the boy and said,

"... FUCK YOU KAKUZU! WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T YOU JUST TELL ME THAT BEFORE?"

Kakuzu shrugged.

"It didn't occur to me when I saw you half way up the wall."

Hidan would have strangled Kakuzu had he had the energy, but he didn't, so he didn't. He looked over at Kakuzu and asked,

"So why the fuck are you still up at this time?"

"I've been counting Akatsuki's profits from the last concert."

Hidan chuckled.

"Figures." He looked around his room for a second then got up off his bed and headed to the door. "Anyone else awake still?"

"I think Itachi and Sasori, since they don't need much sleep anyway."

"Right."

Hidan left the room and walked along the corridor to the form room. When he opened the door and walked inside, he saw Itachi and Sasori sat in armchairs by the fire. Sasori was reading a book, whereas Itachi was simply staring into the crackling flames.

Hidan walked up to Sasori and whispered; so's not to disturb Itachi,

"Where's Deidara?"

"In bed, asleep." Sasori looked at Hidan's expression and asked back, "Why?"

"I need to talk with him."

"The look on your face says you want to murder him. What's happened?"

"Nothing." And with that, Hidan stood up straight and left the room without another word spoke. He walked along the corridor to Deidara and Sasori's room. Sat back in the form room, Sasori directed his voice to Itachi, his eyes back on his book.

"Did you hear all of that?"

"Yes." Itachi's eyes left the flames. "We'd better follow him."

Sasori nodded, snapping his book shut in a quick motion of his hand.

"It's about Yume. Obviously one of them is going to kill the other."

Both males stood up and walked over to the door. Itachi opened it slightly to check if the coast was clear then he and Sasori stepped out and walked down to Sasori's room. As soon as they reached the door Sasori lent against it, listening in.

Inside, Hidan was stood in the darkly lit room next do Deidara's bed. In that bed lay the blonde, his chest rising and falling steadily. Hidan's eyes suddenly turned dark and he grabbed hold of Deidara by his shoulders, shaking him violently. It was only when Deidara's eyes snapped open in surprise that he stopped. Deidara hissed, his head spinning slightly,

"What the hell are you doing, yeah?"

"We need to have a little chat." Hidan folded his arms loosely over his chest. Deidara forced himself up onto his elbow, looking at him incredulously.

"At this time in the morning, yeah? Can't it wait 'til later?"

"It's about Yume."

"Oh..." Deidara didn't seem to care what time it was any more. He shifted in his bed to give Hidan room to sit at the bottom of it, then flicked on the small lamp to his left. "What about Yume, yeah?"

"Well," Hidan said, trying his very best to stay calm, "STAY THE FUCKIN' HELL AWAY FROM YUME, YOU PRICK! I SAW HER FUCKIN' FIRST SO SHE'S MINE! KEEP YOUR SHITTY HANDS OFF HER!" ...so much for staying calm.

Deidara looked at him with a puzzled expression on his face. He was trying to figure out what Hidan had just said - the noise alone had been too much for Deidara to take in. It took him a moment, but when he finally realised...

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU SAW HER FIRST SO SHE'S YOURS, YEAH? YOU CAN'T OWN SOMEONE!" Deidara lent back on his elbows again "...and besides, she might not even like you, yeah." Hidan saw the small smirk on Deidara's lips. He growled, clenching his fist- but then smirked back at the blonde, remembering something.

"Well she seemed to like me when I kissed her on stage."

Deidara's eyes glowed dangerously.

"You said that was only for publicity, yeah."

"I lied." Hidan stated simply. Deidara twitched. Wordlessly he sat up and slipped his hands under his backside, stopping himself from murdering Hidan with them. He spoke again, his voice shaking slightly.

"So Hidan, tell me this, yeah. How did you find out that I liked Yume?"

"Amaya."

That one word seemed to take Deidara aback. He frowned.

"What, yeah?"

Hidan shrugged.

"I was round at Yume's house just before and I got attacked by Amaya...-well, you would know. Anyway, she told me that _you_ had already been round to drop off a valentine's gift but chickened out when Yume came in."

Deidara looked down at his bedsheets, hiding his slight embarrassment.

"I just didn't think that then would have been the best time for her to open it, yeah."

Hidan rolled his eyes.

"Pfft. Tomorrow isn't going to be any better to give it to her."

"Why, yeah?"

Hidan paused a second, deciding whether or not to actually tell him the truth. After he had decided, he said awkwardly,

"Well..."

He retold the story about Yume's parents. When he finished, Deidara was staring at him in shock.

"So...- wait!" Deidara remembered something. "Do you think Sasori knows about it already, yeah?"

"How could he, dumb-ass?"

Deidara thought back to the day previous.

"I don't know. It's just that yesterday when I asked about Yume's parents, he kicked me under the table, yeah."

Hidan looked at Deidara with his eyebrows furrowed.

"Maybe then..."

As Deidara watched Hidan go into deep thought he glanced at his small alarm clock. The digits flashed '5:32'. That son of a-

"So why did you come in here and wake me up in the first place, yeah?"

"Oh yeah..." Hidan had almost forgotten the reason; though it didn't take him long to remember. "-There is no way Yume can be with both of us so she's going to have to pick. So, to make it easier for her, you're going to back down."

"What?" Deidara lurched forward angrily, "No, yeah!"

Hidan snorted.

"So is that yes or n-"

"Shut up, yeah. You know fine well what I said."

"Hn."

"Anyway, there is no way I'm backing down. I really like her!" He narrowed his eyes. "And even if I didn't, there is no way I'm letting you have her, yeah. You probably don't even like her that much, you just want her for se-"

Before Deidara managed to finish his sentence Hidan had dived on him, his arms reaching for the blonde's throat. Having no luck with making contact he resorted to grabbing the pillow closest to him and shoving it over Deidara's face in an attempt to smother him.

"Like fuck!" He cursed loudly. "Even I wouldn't do that!"

Deidara said, muffled by the pillow,

"But you have done that before! That's the whole point, yeah!"

With Deidara slightly stunned by the pillow, Hidan managed to wrap his hands around the blonde's throat. He pressed his hands together, choking Deidara and quickly cutting off his wind supply. An eerie look had made its way into Hidan's eyes. He pressed his hands tighter and Deidara struggled to push Hidan away, coughing and spluttering.

"Get-off me you-bastard-!" Hidan's jaw tightened. He pressed his thumbs into Deidara's wind-pipe, stopping any form of getting oxygen into his lungs. Deidara's hands stopped flailing madly, and instead took the task of trying to pries Hidan's off him. Just as Hidan crashed his elbows down into Deidara's chest, Itachi and Sasori barged down the door. Sasori saw the situation and called,

"That's enough!"

Hidan's hands suddenly recoiled from Deidara as if he had been burnt by the touch. He backed off the bed, standing up. With Hidan gone, Deidara threw the pillow off him, coughing. He sat up, holding his hands around his throat protectively. He looked at the figure just by his bed and glared with as much venom as he could muster.

"I'm not going to let you hurt her, yeah."

Hidan crossed his arms; his murderous eyes having faded away to that of a simple glare. "Fuck off, I'm not going to hurt her."

"Like I'm going to believe you, yeah."

"Both of you. Be quiet." Itachi said quietly. Both boys fell silent instantly. Itachi and Sasori stepped fully into the room and closed the door. Sasori flicked on the main lights. With Hidan and Deidara both glaring at each other like a couple of schoolchildren, the other two boys occupied Sasori's bed and the armchair next to it. Sasori was the first to speak.

"We are inviting Yume over tomorrow and you two can not fight over her like this then. It will be hard enough for her tomorrow without adding you two to the pile."

Deidara pointed an accusing finger at Sasori.

"You **do** know about her parents, yeah!" Sasori nodded. "So why didn't you say something?"

"I don't have to tell you everything I find out about people."

Deidara crossed his arms over his chest childishly.

"Well some things you have to tell me!"

"Fine." This one word ended the matter. Deidara wanted to say something more, but decided it best not to. Itachi spoke instead.

"As for you two and Yume. You can't force Yume to fall in love with you or force her to reject the other. She is a living person, not an object you can posses. She will chose who she wants, and the other better be happy with it." His eyes narrowed just a fraction of an inch. "Also, if either of you _do_ just want her for sex, I will personally kill you with my bare hands." He was directing this more towards Hidan than Deidara. "No girl, including Yume, deserves to be treated in such a way."

Hidan rolled his eyes.

"Itachi, I'm not going to fucking fuck her!" Hidan added under his breath, "Not unless she wants it."

Sasori, the only one hearing this, shook his head and sighed.

"To be honest it would probably be easier if you two lay off Yume- at least for a while anyway."

Hidan sighed. He rubbed the back of his head and said,

"Yeah. Yume's crazy friend told me when Yume's parents left, that same day they'd had a fuckin' go at her for 'having a boyfriend'..."

Deidara looked down at his bed-sheets, almost ashamed at himself.

"Yeah, I get what you mean, yeah. I guess we could stop arguing for tomorrow-" He saw Sasori's glare "-and a bit longer if we have to."

Sasori, as satisfied with the conclusion as he could be, rose up from his place on the bed and walked over to the bedroom door.

"Well, since that's sorted out," He pulled the door open wide. "Goodnight, Hidan, Itachi."

Itachi rose to his feet then both he and Hidan made their way from the room. Itachi left first, and as Hidan walked through the door he felt Sasori grip his arm. The red-head whispered in his ear,

"If you **do** do anything to upset Yume when she's here tomorrow..." He didn't finish the sentence, letting Hidan's imagination take over. The silver-haired man shrugged Sasori off him and walked out of the room. Sasori sighed heavily and closed it behind him. He turned on his heel to face Deidara.

"The same goes for you. If you upset Yume tomorrow, you will suffer."

Deidara waved his hand about in the air lazily.

"Don't worry about it. I wont, yeah. Me and Hidan can just have out little war when Yume's not looking, yeah."

Sasori half sighed, half laughed.

"Goodnight Deidara."

"Yeah, good night Sasori." And with that, Deidara turned the small lamp off next to his bed and got comfortable under the covers again; hoping for the rest of the night to go undisturbed. Sasori walked over to the door and flicked off the little switch. The rest of the lights went out. Sasori walked over to the wardrobe on the other side of the room, between the two arched windows. He opened it and quickly discarded his top. He hung it up, then did the same with his trousers. Clad only in his boxers, Sasori walked over to his bed and got under the covers, then soon enough he fell asleep.

Deidara took a little longer to fall asleep; too much on his mind. As he finally drifted to sleep the last thing on his mind was,

'_I'll protect you Yume. No matter what.._.'

(8:00 am, Yume's house.)

Unlike most days, Yume wasn't woken up by her alarm clock. Instead, she was awoken by the o-so-sweet sound of Amaya's voice.

"Yume! Wake up woman! Where the hell do you keep the cereal!"

"W-what?" Yume rolled over and saw Amaya stood directly over her. As a simple way of getting rid off Amaya, Yume grabbed hold of her pillow and threw it at her friend's head; not very accurately due to the fact she was still half asleep. Amaya caught hold of it, then reversed the attack. She jumped on top of Yume's legs and started beating her friend in the face with the pillow.

"Wake... Up... God... Damn... It...! I... Need... Breakfast... To... Be... A... Happy... Amaya!" She yelled in between blows.

Yume yelled back,

"Damn it Amaya! I'm awake already!"

"Oh good." Amaya said, giving Yume an extra hard smack in the face just for the fun of it. Yume pulled herself off the sofa and stood up on wobbly legs. She steadied herself, then made her way into the kitchen, Amaya right at her heels. She said to her black-haired friend on the way across,

"You think you would remember where the cereal was after being 'round here so much."

"Yeah," Amaya said, rubbing her head sheepishly. "You would think that, wouldn't you."

Yume walked into the room and made a bee-line to one of the cupboards. She reached up and opened it then said to Amaya as she rummaged through the different cereal boxes,

"What do you want?"

"Ermm..." Amaya looked around slowly, then her head snapped to the kitchen table. On it lay a small stack of letters. Amaya's eyes bulged. "Shit!"

"What is it?" Yume asked, still rummaging.

Amaya flash-stepped over to the letters and saw to her horror that they were all addressed to Yume. Some in pink envelopes, others with hearts a kisses, and then a few plain ones but with the same message.

'_God damn valentine's cards._' She thought to herself.

"Nothing." She said to Yume innocently. Within a flash, Amaya pulled a lighter from nowhere and set the letters on fire.

Yume quickly smelt the smoke and pulled herself from the cupboard, looking at Amaya. She saw the burning letters and yelled in a panic,

"What are you doing?"

Amaya smiled innocently, her brain ticking like a clock.

"Uhh...bills. I'm burning bills! Yeah, that's it! You know, I've always hated them...how they always want money off you! It's like, can't you give me a break for five minut- HOLY SHIT!"

The flames had spread onto the table cloth. Amaya grabbed the nearest cup to her and filled it with water. She threw it on the fire, but it didn't put it out; just gave a small hiss. Amaya looked at the cup.

"WHY ARE YOU NOT WORKING?"

Yume got a bucket from under the sink and filled it with water as Amaya yelled angrily at the cup. She threw it on the flames, instantly extinguishing the fire. There was a awkward pause where Amaya looked at Yume and Yume looked back, then they both burst out laughing.

When they had finished the fire incident and Yume was back to rummaging in the cupboards, Amaya quickly and swiftly (by her standards at least) disposed of the remanding ashes of the valentine's cards. As she walked back over to Yume, Amaya thought to herself,

'_And so my day of murdering Yume's secret admirers begins..._'

She rubbed the back of her head and yawned.

"Yo! Yume, where's this cereal? I'm going to be late!" Amaya looked over at the clock, yelled, then ran up stairs and grabbed her school bag. She launched herself down the stairs and out of the front door, yelling,

"Never mind! Got to go! See you later!"

Yume turned round in time to see the door closing.

Outside, Amaya put her bag on properly then walked down the steps to the front gate; where a boy in a slipknot hoodie was plucking up his courage to walk up to the door with flowers in his hand. Amaya casually walked past him, then grabbed him by his bag and pulled him away wordlessly.

* * *

_Hi! I hope you liked this chapter, it just explains a little about Yume's past. It's quite short, but if I tried to fit the next bit in, it would be a REALLLY LONG chapter (and I know people would yell at me)!_

_Deidara: Sarah! get back here, yeah!_

_Me: NO! I'm not going in the lake! I'll be good, I promise!_

_Deidara: I don't care! (runs at Sarah)_

_Me: uh-oh, got to go! BYEE! (runs away)_

_X-Deidara's Lover-X_


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own anyone from Naruto or the Akatsuki.

Claimer: I do however, own Yume, Amaya, Saki and anyone else I can think of not in Naruto! Do NOT use them in your work or KABLAMO they go...right in the middle of your page! All your work will be a mess!

* * *

Chapter 8

It had been ten minutes since Amaya had left the house, but it was still too early for school. Yume wondered why Amaya had just suddenly rushed out.

She shrugged her shoulders and sat down in front of the television with a bowl of lucky charms cereal. She turned on the television and flicked over to the music channel.

Half way through a song, Yume's phone went off.

Yume picked up her phone and flicked it open. On the screen it read: '_1 new message. Amaya_.'

Yume read the message;

_'Cheer up chuck. WE'RE HAVING A PARTY LATER! INVITE AKATSUKI! :)'_

Yume looked at the message, blinked, then fainted.

She was awoken by a finger being continuously poked into her stomach. Her eyes opened and she saw none other than Tobi.

"YUME!"

She rubbed the back of her head, saying in one breath,

"Hello Tobi. What do you want, and how did you get in my house?"

Tobi decided it best not to answer and instead pulled Yume up off the ground, threw her over his shoulder in a fireman's lift, then ran out of the house. Yume was screaming all the while. She couldn't see where she was being carried off to, but didn't worry too much; it was Tobi after all.

Tobi ran to the awaiting Limo and literally threw Yume in. She hit something on the opposite side of the vehicle, which made an 'upff' noise, then wrapped its arms around Yume's waist so she didn't fall off the seat.

Yume looked up to see Deidara.

"Hi." She said nervously. Deidara looked down at her in his arms and smirked, hiding his nervousness. Her body was straddling his, but sideways. Her arms and head were on one side of him, her legs were on the other, and he had all of her weight in his arms because she was unable to actually touch the ground.

"Hello, Yume. Nice of you to drop in, yeah."

Yume stuck her tongue out.

Tobi climbed in the limo as well and shut the door. As the vehicle started to move, Yume realised the vehicle **was** moving, and asked anyone who was listening,

"Where are we going?"

Deidara looked at Sasori.

"You didn't even tell her, yeah?"

"Well, it was a surprise." Sasori said simply. Deidara smirked again, rolling his eyes. The red-head looked at Yume and said,

"We're taking you to our school."

Yume was shocked. They weren't transferring her, were they?

"Why?" she asked.

"Well, yeah. We didn't want you to be on your own when you still have injuries."

"Oh," Yume took a sigh of relief. "That's good."

Deidara looked down at her and asked,

"Why is that good, yeah?"

"Because I thought I'd been transferred schools a second there." She replied sheepishly. Deidara and a couple of others laughed slightly. Deidara thought to himself, '_If only you could be in my school. I could help you out and be there for you all the time!'_

As the blonde male was daydreaming, he lost his hold on Yume and she hit the floor. She sat up and rubbed the back of her head. She looked at Deidara, who noticed her absence on his lap and looked down at her.

"Sorry, yeah." He said with an embarrassed smile. Yume giggled a bit, then stood up, only for the limo to go over a bump and for her to fall over again. She hit the limo floor with a 'thud' and laughed. She tried to stand up again, but failed miserably. Sasori saw her struggling, so he grabbed her by the upper-arm and pulled her onto the seat next to him.

"Thanks." She said. Sasori merely nodded his head.

The rest of the journey was quite quiet, other than Tobi's version of 'I'm a little teapot' being continuously sung over and over. By the end of the journey, Tobi had been tied, gagged, and nearly thrown out of the window by Hidan, if it had not been for Itachi and Yume.

When the limo stopped, the first one out was Tobi. He leapt out of the vehicle, ran off into the distance and yelled,

"Hidan is going to kill Tobi! HELP!"

The next out was Hidan himself. He chased after Tobi, screaming,

"TOBI GET YOUR FUCKING ASS BACK HERE SO I CAN TEACH YOU NOT TO SING THOSE FUCKING SONGS OF YOURS IN MY FUCKING EAR YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

The rest got out of the limo and it drove away to the parking lot.

Yume laughed as she saw Tobi and Hidan in the distance.

A cool wind blew, making Yume shiver. She looked down at herself and it was only then that Yume realise she was wearing her pyjamas. Her face turned red. She turned to the nearest person to her, Deidara, and said in an angry whisper,

"Why did you not tell me I was wearing my pyjamas?"

Deidara looked at her stupidly and said,

"Well you didn't ask, yeah." Yume huffed, "And you didn't seem bothered, yeah."

"Well I'm bothered now." She wined. Deidara sighed. He took off his black cloak-like coat and held it out to the slightly shivering blonde next to him.

"Here, yeah."

Yume looked at the black and red cloak for a second, and then grabbed it, nearly snatching Deidara's hand off. She wrapped herself in it and started jumping up and down with happiness.

"Oh my god! I'm wearing **the** Akatsuki cloak! I'm so happy! I would just like to thank a few people for helping me make this day possible, ahem-"

"Yume, yeah."

Said girl looked at Deidara.

"What?"

Deidara halfheartedly laughed.

"Just don't over do it, okay, yeah?"

"Yeah, sure." Yume said as she held the fabric of the cloak in her hands. "My life is complete!" Yume thought to herself,

**'_Man you sound like an idiot.'_**

_'Who cares? I'm wearing Deidara, of the Akatsuki's, cloak! My life long dream is complete!' _

_**'That was your dream?...you need to get a life...'**_

Yume looked at the cloak she was currently wearing and hugged herself. Amaya was never going to believe this.

She took a step forward, not realising her foot was asleep, and fell down very ungracefully. Sasori, Itachi and Deidara looked down at her with a worried faces. Itachi asked,

"Yume, are you okay?"

She looked up at him, also surprised she'd fallen,

"Y-yes, I'm fine." She gave, what she hoped to be, a reassuring smile. Itachi's brows furrowed slightly,

"Are your injuries bothering you?"

Yume hesitated to speak; yes, her injuries were hurting her a little, but she knew if she said the wrong thing, Sasuke would be sentenced to death for hurting her. She said,

"No, it's okay. My foot just went to sleep in the limo on the way here."

Itachi seemed to relax. Yume gave a small sigh of relief. Deidara smiled down at Yume and held out a helping hand, which she accepted gladly.

The group made their ways up to the school building. When they walked through the door, they were greeted by the receptionist, with long red hair and glasses.

"Hello Karin." Sasori said monotonically. Without waiting for a reply, they walked past the girl, through the doors to the dormitories.

When they reached their dorm- room, Itachi pushed open the door and was greeted by many different people. The girl's were screaming – as usual - and most of the boys were trying to see past Itachi for some reason. Hidan and Deidara, knowing exactly what the boys were looking for, stood in front of Yume protectively - unfortunately the two boys failed at their job, because after about three seconds, a boy yelled,

"There she is!"

Yume, realising the boy was talking about her, took a step back. She bumped into Kisame, who forced her to walk forward into the room.

When all of the band members were stood in the room (as well as Yume and Kisame), the door was closed and everyone was talking. Yume overheard people saying,

"Wow, she's cute."

"Is she wearing her pyjamas?"

"Why do you think she's wearing the cloak?" and the reply being,

"Because she's not wearing anything under it."

Yume's face paled, the flushed red when she heard a couple of the other remarks. She quickly turned to Kisame and whispered,

"Aren't they supposed to be in class?"

Kisame whispered back,

"Lessons haven't started yet."

"Damn..." She replied. Kisame chuckled. Before Yume had a chance to bolt for the door behind her, Itachi grabbed her arm and pulled her through the thickening crowd to the other side of the room where - Yume was so thankful - there was another door. The group left as quickly as possible, but unfortunately they were being followed by fan-girls and the new fan-boys - much to Yume's dismay.

They walked down the corridor to Sasori and Deidara's bedroom. When they arrived at the room, everyone went inside but Kisame, who had to guard the door.

Deidara and Sasori occupied their beds, Itachi leaned against the wall closest to the door, and Hidan and Tobi occupied the two armchairs so Yume decided she would sit on the floor. Hidan had other ideas. He stepped over to Yume, picked her up, and sat her in his lap on the armchair. The look Deidara gave him was murderous. Hidan could only stick his tongue out, since he and Deidara had promised not to fight over Yume today.

Sasori rolled his eyes, then said to Yume,

"We realise that you won't be able to work with your band again, so we've got you a replacement."

Yume's eyes widened.

"Really?" She began jumping up and down excitedly, but then remembered she was sat in Hidan's lap, and stopped. The silver-haired man whispered in her ear,

"Hey, carry on. It felt nice."

Yume's face flushed red again. She decided to turn her attention to Sasori.

"S- so, who's in my new band then?"

Sasori nodded. Itachi knocked on the door and told Kisame to 'go and get them'.

The group sat in almost silence; Tobi was there so it could never be truly silent. Suddenly the door-handle began to shake; someone was trying to get in. Itachi, Sasori and Deidara all slammed themselves against the door, looks of distress on their faces.

Yume's eyes widened. She looked over her shoulder at Hidan and asked nervously,

"What's going on?"

He sighed heavily.

"Fan-girls." He looked at Yume again, "And I'm guessing fan-boys as well."

"Great!" She replied in almost a whimper. She looked over at the door and saw all three males straining to keep the door from opening. Suddenly she heard yelling from the other side of the door, and for some bizarre reason, the guys moved **away** from the door. Two seconds later, there was a call of,

"If you crazy lunatics don't move away from that door I'm going to flatten you so much it'll take twelve of you to fill out a t-shirt!" Then there were a few more yells, and suddenly the door opened and three figures were thrown into the room by Kisame, who was currently stood on some poor person's head, whilst holding three others back with his right arm.

He threw the people back, turned round and did a battle cry, then ran out into the crowd with his arms wide. Itachi thought it best to close the door at this point.

The three figures were lying on the floor in a pile, dazed. Yume jumped out of Hidan's lap and walked over to them. She leaned down to get a better look, and at that moment, the three looked back up at her. She yelped and staggered backwards; knocking into Tobi. He fell over and knocked into Deidara, who fell into Itachi, who fell into the open wardrobe. Suddenly the wardrobe doors closed. Hidan locked them with a smirk.

Sasori rolled his eyes then turned to the pile on the floor, then to Yume,

"Yume, meet Suigetsu, Haku and Kimimaro," He pointed to the pile, "Guys, meet Yume."

All three boys stood up. One of the three waved with a sweet smile, and the other two nodded their heads in greeting. Yume smiled back, then leaned over to Sasori and whispered,

"So... who's who?"

Sasori shook his head incredulously,

"I'm getting to that," He pointed to the boy who had waved at her, "This is Haku; keyboardist."

The small boy had long, dark brown hair and eyes of the same colour. He looked a lot like a girl, and could be easily mistaken for one (as Yume had accidentally done). He looked to be about the same age as Yume. As Yume tried to memorize the name and face, Sasori pointed to first of the two remaining boys; the one with light blue hair.

"This is Suigetsu; bassist."

The boy gave Yume a mischievous smirk. She smiled at him then her stomach gave a small twist when she realised that the boy's teeth were slightly pointed, just like Kisame's - maybe it was the fashion? Maybe they were related? Who knows? Yume noticed he was the tallest out of the three; about three quarters of a foot taller than Haku as he could look over the top of his head.

"And the last," Sasori pointed to the guy with long white hair; two red dots on his forehead, "is Kimimaro, the drummer."

Yume looked at the boy and smiled. He didn't do anything for a moment; although he seemed to be watching her closely, and then he gave her a small, almost invisible smile. Suigetsu noticed from the corner of his eye and elbowed Kimimaro in the stomach.

"What's up with you? You _never_ smile at a girl!" He looked at Yume and winked, "He likes you."

Yume blushed. She scratched her cheek, trying to ignore the statement and turned to look at Haku; the only boy who seemed friendly enough to approach.

"So who's your vocalist?"

Haku's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"But-"

"-What? She doesn't even know she's the singer?" Suigetsu interrupted loudly, pointing an accusing finger at Yume. The girl in question took a few steps back again. She turned to Sasori and stuttered,

"I-I'm the singer?" Her face had already paled at the thought. Sasori noticed and went to put a hand on her shoulder,

"Are you oka-"

"I'M A BACKING-SINGER AND A GUITARIST! I DON'T DO LEAD SINGING!"

Sasori and the others covered their ears at her outburst. It was only when she'd stopped yelling that Haku raised his hand timidly. Yume looked at him.

"But you sang in front of thousands of people the other day."

Her face drained of any colour it had left.

"You saw that too?"

Suigetsu butted in,

"Yeah! Me and Kimimaro were at the concert!" he said, wrapping his arm around Kimimaro's shoulders and messing up his hair. The white-haired boy pushed his friend off and added,

"You were amazing. We'd love to have you as our lead singer."

"Really?" She asked curiously. She still wasn't used to getting compliments for singing - Ino had always said the opposite, "Uhh…thank you."

"You're welcome."

The other two new-comers were staring at Kimimaro like he'd gone crazy; well actually, Haku was hiding it well enough but Suigetsu was staring wide-eyed, pointing his finger at Kimimaro, then screamed,

"Kimimaro, what are you? CRAZY? WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH YOU? YOU DON'T ACT LIKE THIS! YOU NEVER ACT LIK-"

He was shut up by Haku placing his hands over Suigetsu's mouth. The brown-haired boy laughed nervously, trying to wave it off,

"Sorry. Suigetsu's overreacting again." He looked at Yume and smiled, "So, would you like to be our lead-singer? We would love to have you." Then he added quickly, so as not to put pressure on her, "Or you could stay with your old band, we don't mind. We just don't want you getting hurt."

Yume smiled. She liked Haku already. He seemed so sweet. She played with the sleeve of Deidara's cloak; which she was still wearing, then said after a moment's thought,

"I'd love to be in your band."

The three boys smiled in unison; Hidan and Deidara on the other hand did the opposite. They could see it already. With a new band they'd never get to meet up with her and with a new _all-male_ band - the pair shuddered at the gruelling thought – she was _bound_ to be kidnapped by one of them.

The pair were dragged from their thoughts when Yume started talking again; directing her sentence towards them along with the other boys from Akatsuki,

"-Do you guys want to come to a party tonight at my house? Amaya – you remember her, right? Well she decided to arrange a party for no apparent reason and told me to invite you guys!"

Without a second wasted Hidan and Deidara replied in unison,

"Yes!" Then realising they'd both spoken out they looked at each and glared. Sasori rolled his eyes. They were both idiots. Trying his best to ignore them he looked at Yume and said,

"We would love to c-"

"TOBI'S COMING! TOBI LOVES PARTIES!"

Yume and Sasori sweat-dropped. Of course. Lastly Yume turned to Haku, Suigetsu and Kimimaro,

"I know we've just met but would you like to come too?"

Kimimaro nodded and Suigetsu laughed.

"Yeah! We can get to know each other there!"

Hidan and Deidara death-glared at Suigetsu; who noticed and decided to refrain from saying anything else for a while. He wasn't going to upset the members of his favourite band for anything.

Soon enough, the school bell rang, telling everyone to head off to first lesson.

Haku, Kimimaro and Suigetsu turned to leave, but not before Kimimaro said,

"We'll see you tonight then, Yume." Then he left.

The other guys grabbed their equipment for their next lessons then Sasori turned to Yume and said,

"You can sleep on the bed if you're tired. We'll come and see you again at break, so try and entertain yourself until then."

" 'kay." Yume replied with a smile.

The boys left – Sasori having to push both Deidara and Hidan from the room - so Yume decided to go to sleep for a while. She hadn't really been able to sleep the night before; her bruises had been stinging too much. She didn't take off Deidara's cloak, and instead, climbed into his bed and snuggled down under the covers. She had already fallen asleep by the time the second bell rang.

Yume's mind was buzzing. She was smiling slightly as the dreams played along in her head;

_She was standing in front of her bedroom mirror in her nightdress. The bruising and cuts were gone and she was smiling very brightly. In the background there was a bubbly song being played; one you'd find somewhere in a musical about rainbows and butterflies._

_She turned, hearing a rustling from the bed behind her and noticed there was someone in it, their face covered by the bed-sheets. Yume ignored them and turned back to the mirror. When she looked at her reflection she noticed she was holding a microphone so looked down, and sure enough she found a microphone in her hands. The musical-music played a little louder so Yume did the only thing she could think of; sing._

_As she sang along to the music, the words coming to her naturally, she could see the person in the bed behind her stirring again. The figure sat up and moved the covers from their face. It was one of the boys from her new band; Kimimaro._

_He turned his body and slipped out of the bed. Yume continued to sing, seeing him advance towards her through the mirror. When he was stood behind her he slipped his arms around her waist, burying his head in the crook of her neck as if they were lovers._ _She leaned her head back slightly and closed her eyes, still singing. When she opened them again, it wasn't Kimimaro holding her, but Deidara. He stroked her cheek softly, whispering words into her ear although she couldn't hear them. The music was playing too loud now. Deidara's lips touched her neck and she closed her eyes, her cheeks stained pink. For the second time, when she opened her eyes it wasn't the same person holding her. This time it was Hidan. He wrapped his arms around her tighter and took his lips away from her neck. Yume continued to sing and Hidan swayed them both in time to the music. When Yume turned her head to look at Hidan, she realised he wasn't there. No one was._

_The music stopped suddenly; the sound of a high pitched scream ringing through her ears. The microphone disintegrated in her hands without her realising. What was going on? There was a single knock on her bedroom door. She looked at it warily. Who could that be? There was another knock, louder, then a voice called ominously,_

"_Yume let me in. It's Sasuke."_

_Yume's eyes widened. She took a step or two away from the door, backing up until she hit the post of her bed. She hissed, feeling a stinging all over her body. She looked down and saw that the cuts and bruises had reappeared on her skin. There was another knock._

"_Yume. Open the door. I'm not going to hurt you. I promise..."_

_Yume clutched her head and snapped her eyes shut._

"_Go away!" She screamed. The knocking got louder, like the beating of a drum._

"_Yume __I have two people with me. They want to talk to you."_

_Yume's eyes shot open. She stared at the door. It couldn't be...- There was another knock on the door, then another, then another. It was more than just Sasuke banging on the door now. A female voice called, her tone sickeningly sweet,_

"_Hello __**sweetie**__. We're not going to hurt you, we promise...so open the door and let us in."_

_Yume's eyes widened. She hadn't heard that voice in eight years. She backed up so much that she fell backwards onto the bed._ _The knocking got louder and louder until it was all Yume could hear. She clasped her hands over her ears._

"_LEAVE ME ALONE!" She screamed desperately. Tears were building up in her eyes. "Why did you have to come back? YOU LEFT ME ALL ALONE SO WHY COULDN'T YOU LEAVE IT THAT WAY! I DON'T WANT YOU HERE!"_

_The knocking got louder and louder, and suddenly the door burst open._

Yume shot up from the bed, screaming. She was sweating and her cheeks were soaked with tears. She could still hear the knocking in her head- but then she realised it wasn't in her head, it was in the room. She turned her head to the wardrobe, where the banging was coming from. She took a deep breath.

'_It was only a dream…'_

She jumped out of bed and walked over to the wardrobe, wondering what the knocking must be. When she reached the wardrobe she tried to open the door but found it was locked. She turned and looked around the room, trying to spot the key. She found it on the chair Hidan had been sat on earlier. She hastily picked it up and went back to the wardrobe; where the banging was still as loud as ever. She pushed the key into the lock and turned it. The doors swung open as if on a spring and none other than Itachi fell out head first. He lay there for a moment, stunned, then stood up, brushed himself off and cleared his throat. He turned to Yume and almost glared at her.

"Couldn't you have got me out earlier?"

"S-sorry, Itachi. I was asleep."

"Hn," He noticed Yume's eyes were red, "Have you been crying?"

"N-no." Yume knew Itachi could tell she was lying but he didn't say anything. However after he had picked up his school equipment, he turned to Yume and said clearly,

"What just happened didn't happen. Okay?"

Yume nodded. She scratched the back of her head and laughed, happy for a distraction.

"Sure!"

Itachi gave a small smile, then patted Yume on the head and told her to go back to sleep. She headed over to the bed and lay down again. The black-haired male walked over to the bed as well and asked,

"Are your injuries hurting?"

Yume looked down at her splinted wrist.

"No, they feel fine to me."

"That's good," Itachi turned to leave, "We'll be back to see you at lunch."

"What about morning break?"

Itachi pointed to a clock on the wall. Yume looked. It read '11:06'. She'd been asleep for over three hours. Itachi pointed out,

"The guys came in at break to see you, but I'm guessing you were asleep."

"So... why didn't they let you out?"

Itachi gave a death-glare to no one in particular.

"Because they are all evil bastards who don't value their lives."

Yume laughed, to which Itachi turned and left.

In another moment's silence Yume decided to go back to sleep, because, because of that nightmare, she was now tired out. She pulled the covers up to her chin, wrapped herself in Deidara's cloak again then fell asleep once more; this time, however, finding herself to be the owner of the largest sweet-shop in the world rather than being caught in a nightmare.

Yume was later awoken by the sweet sound of Tobi's voice, saying,

"Yume! Wake up~! ...Yume... YUME! TOBI WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!"

She jumped up with a start and nearly fell out of the bed. When she realised she was no longer talking to the fluffy bunny in her palace-like sweet-shop, she turned to Tobi and said, half registering him through blurry eyes,

"Hi, Tobi. What are you doing here?" She looked at the clock, "It's not lunch-time yet, is it?"

Tobi shook his head, a grin plastered on his face.

"Nope! Tobi snuck out of lessons to see Yume!"

Yume sighed,

"Great..."

Without warning, Tobi grabbed Yume around the head and gave her a suffocating hug. He yelled loudly,

"Tobi missed Yume! Has Yume been okay? Tobi wants to KNOOOO~OW!"

There was a moment where Yume thought she was going to die from lack of oxygen, but then she managed to grab one of Tobi's sleeves and prised his arm away from her face. She took a large, much-needed breath, then laughed, seeing black and red dots everywhere,

"Yes, I'm doing fine, thank you Tobi." She shook her head, trying to see normally again, then noticed the key in the wardrobe door. "…though I don't think you're going to be okay when Itachi finds you."

Tobi's head darted towards the wardrobe door. Realisation dawned on his face. He jumped up off the bed and started running round in circles, screaming,

"No! Tobi doesn't want to die! He's too young and pretty to die! Why did Yume let Itachi out of the wardrobe?"

She raised her hands in defence,

"I didn't know it was him in there! All I heard was knocking so I went to see what it was, and only _then_ did I find out it was Itachi."

Tobi continued to run around in circles for a minute or so, then he did the one thing Yume didn't expect him to do, and ran at the open window. Yume yelled,

"Tobi! Stop!"

But he didn't listen. He ran at the window and dived straight out of it. Only then did he remember that Deidara's room was five floors up. He stopped in mid-air for a second, his eyes growing huge, then he started falling; waving his arms and legs frantically.

Yume jumped from the bed and ran over to the window, leaning out of it to see Tobi plummeting to the ground. Suddenly he hit the floor, causing a small mushroom cloud. Yume yelled uncertainly,

"Tobi, are you okay?"

There was no answer. Yume called, a little louder,

"Are you… alive?"

There was still no answer then suddenly a small voice called back,

"Tobi's fine..." The small dot in Yume's vision picked himself up off the ground and yelled, "Itachi's not going to take Tobi alive!"

Then the small blob that was Tobi ran off back into the school building. He didn't come back up to the bedroom. He knew you should never go back to the scene of the crime. _Never_.

Yume laughed to herself. She pulled herself back in the window and dusted her stomach off then looked around. There wasn't much to do in the room which didn't involve going through all of Deidara and Sasori's things – something she had been refraining herself from doing the whole time she'd been here - and decided to go and explore, since she wasn't tired any more and didn't have to avoid the fans; they were all in lessons.

Yume fastened up Deidara cloak again then walked over to the door and opened it. She peered her head around the corner of the door, just in case, then stepped outside into the corridor. Vaguely remembering her way around, she turned right and walked down the corridor. Knowing that no-one was around Yume had no problem with opening every door she came to. Every door -apart from two- led to a bedroom. After a couple of minutes she came to a room with a symbol she recognised on it. It was Jashin's symbol. Hidan's creepy religious symbol.

_'Hidan's room_...'

Yume took the door-handle and pulled. The door opened. She looked into the room in front of her, debating with herself whether or not to go in, then she grinned, deciding to risk it. She stepped in and shut the door behind her.

The room she saw was nothing like she'd been expecting. It was normal. There were no posters of naked girls, no graffiti, no nothing. It was just like Sasori and Deidara's room. The only thing that was different was the way the furniture was arranged.

Yume walked across to one of the beds and opened the chest of drawers next to it.

_'Definitely Hidan's...'_

It was full to the brim and everything was covered in Jashin symbols. Yume, being the nosy fan she was, had a quick rummage through his things, finding a small notebook. She picked it up and opened it to the first page.

_'February 12th'_ Yume's eyebrows flew up in surprise.

"He keeps a diary?"

She read on;

_'Today we had another fuckin' concert. It was pretty good. We met up with this bitch called Yume and did a few songs with her since her band didn't show up, bunch of fucktards. Then we took her out to dinner. It was all Itachi's idea. That was funny! Kisame got drunk and started feeling Deidara up thinking it was Yume. I always said Deidara was a woman! Kakuzu is being a dick again and has hidden my rosary. He must die. Ah well, I'm too fucking tired to write any more, so goodnight._'

Yume turned the page,

'_February 13th. Well, today was just weird. I got woken up by a knock on the door; Kakuzu's intern is way too eager. I had breakfast then headed off to lessons, which brings me to Tobi. He. Must. Die. A. Painful. Death. No one takes my sake away from me in the middle of a religious studies lesson! After break I had science. I got dragged out of it half way through because apparently someone was attacking that Yume girl from yesterday and we had to go and save her._

_When we got there, it was Itachi's little snot-nosed brother and his girlfriend who were beating the shit out of Yume. I did most of the work and I don't think 'Sasuke' will be bothering Yume again._

_She had to come back with us because she got hurt pretty bad. We left her in Sasori's room but I had to stay with her. I didn't really mind too much. She's growing on me. She woke up just after the end of school so I got to explain what had happened. Great. After she left I decided to get her present for Valentines Day. Yeah, fine. I do like her. She's a lot different to other girls. For one thing, she isn't a crazy fan-girl.'_-Yume laughed loudly at this-_ 'I got back from the shops at ten. I'm going to go and give it to her tonight. I hope she likes necklaces.'_

Yume turned the page again. It had today's date on it.

'_February 14__th__: Valentine's day._

_Yume's coming round today, can't wait to see her. I've got one problem though... Deidara fucking likes her as well! We got told not to fight over her today because she's having a bad time with past shit, so I'll stick to it, but come tomorrow and Deidara is dead._

_I'll tell you how it goes with Yume later._'

And there was nothing more written.

Yume dropped the book, her face shocked.

'_T-they know... they know about what happened to me... how could they have found out?'_

Yume didn't have time to contemplate because at that moment the door to the room swung open and a boy with dark skin walked in; stitches all over his face.

_'This must be Kakuzu...'_

Behind Kakuzu, a smaller girl walked in carrying a clip-board.

_'And there's the intern.'_

Before they were both in the room Yume turned round and scooped up the diary, hiding it behind her back. Kakuzu looked over and saw the blonde. She gave an innocent smile.

"H-hi..."

Kakuzu's eyes narrowed.

"What are you doing in here, girl?"

"Well I-"

"You're the girl who Akatsuki had their last concert with, aren't you?"

"Uhh… yes?"

Yume didn't know if that had been the right answer because Kakuzu seemed to freeze on the spot.

"No, I mean. I-"

Suddenly, Kakuzu's eyes watered. He launched himself at Yume and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"Thank you!" He cried, "You made me so much money! You're an amazing, wonderful girl!"

Kakuzu stopped suddenly. He felt something against Yume's back. He took hold of it and pulled. Yume yelped, and Kakuzu produced the diary. He looked at it, then at Yume. A smile spread across his face.

"You've been reading Hidan's diary, 'ey girl?" His eyes glinted, "So...how much would you pay me to _not _tell Hidan?"

"W-what?" He had to be kidding. Kakuzu crossed his arms and smirked, then he stuck out his hand.

"Ten."

"What? I thought I was your favourite person?"

"And you will be even more once you've given me some more money."

_'__**Ooh, he must die**_**!' **

_'I may as well pay him... I don't want Hidan killing me in my sleep...'_

"Kakuzu... I don't have any money with me right now, but I can pay you later."

The stitched-up boy stared a little past Yume, weighing things up in his mind then nodded.

"Fine. Give it to Hidan at the party and he will give it to me."

Yume's eyes widened.

_'How does he know about that?'_

"Half the school knows." Kakuzu smirked again, "I could warn you about something if you paid me."

"Fine! I'll give Hidan fifteen for you!"

"Twenty."

Yume glared.

"...fine. So what is it?"

"Well, a lot of the guys from school are thinking about bugging the party."

"Oh..." She laughed, "Thanks for the tip."

Kakuzu smirked evilly then he turned round and looked at the smaller girl next to him.

"Write down, 'Yume: twenty pounds, if not paid within first week interest will go up by ten percent, fail to be paid within the next two months and she will be hunted down', and file it away under debts."

The brunette smiled.

"Yes, Kakuzu-sama!" She said, scribbling things onto a clipboard. Kakuzu grumbled,

"Don't call me that…"

Yume giggled. The other girl looked at her and smiled.

"I'm Saki, nice to meet you."

Yume gave a small bow.

"I'm Yume. Nice to meet you too."

The two girls started giggling. Kakuzu looked between the two, then slapped his forehead and walked off into the bathroom. Saki gave a small nod, then said quickly,

"I have to go. Kakuzu-sama might be angry with me if I don't stick by him."

"Okay." Yume said with a smile. She watched the girl head into the bathroom, then put Hidan's diary back and headed off back towards Deidara and Sasori's room. She didn't hear Kakuzu screaming at Saki to leave him alone to pee in peace. On the way back she heard the bell for end of school. Yume stopped in her tracks, seeing a large group of boys appear along the corridor. Maybe if she just kept quiet…-One of them saw her; tapping his friend on the shoulder, then before Yume realised what was going on, all of the boys were running at her, screaming her name.

_**'Uh oh... fan-boys...'**_

Yume kicked up her heel and ran. She ran as fast as she could back to Deidara and Sasori's room. She wrenched the door open, launched herself into the room then rammed herself against the door to close it again. A second later she had to apply full force to the door because the boys were trying to barge it down. She thought to herself,

_**'I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die! HELP ME SOMEONE!'**_

And luckily her prayers were answer because suddenly the boys outside of her door disappeared. As soon as they had gone however, someone else was trying to barge down the door, someone much stronger. When they had no luck at getting the door open, another person helped; well, at least another person, probably more. Without any problem the door was barged down.

As quick as a light, Yume ran over to Deidara's bed and hid under the covers.

She heard the people enter the room and walk over to where she was now hiding. Yume saw the shadow of a hand above the covers then the hand wrapped around the fabric and pulled. Yume looked up to see five familiar faces looking down at her, a couple of them looking rather amused.

Hidan laughed.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Yume gulped,

"Fan-boys... I got chased... by fan-boys."

Sasori gave a small smile.

"Welcome to our world."

"I don't like i-"

"There, there, Yume! Don't be scared! Tobi will protect you!" Tobi said, patting her heavily on the head. Itachi spoke, looking at the clock.

"Speaking of which, we'd better get you home."

"Uhh…okay." How was that 'speaking of which'?

Deidara raised his hand, making a point,

"We're going to need to hide you if you don't want to get caught up by fans again, yeah! If not yours, ours."

Yume looked at Deidara then at Tobi; who glanced at the empty guitar case. Yume realised what he was about to do. She grabbed one of the four posts of the bed and clung on for dear life; Tobi on the other hand grabbed hold of Yume and was pulling as hard as possible.

"Come on Yume! Tobi knows you will be safe in the case! Tobi will help you get in!"

"No! Tobi, let go of me! I won't fit!"

As Tobi continued to pull, and Yume continued to yell at him, Hidan rolled his eyes and walked over to the pair. He unstuck Yume from the post and threw her over his shoulder, then he turned to Itachi and said,

"Give me your cloak."

The raven-haired man didn't speak but did as instructed. He handed the black cloak to Hidan, and then Hidan threw it over the top of Yume. When he had finished, he took Yume off his shoulder and held her like he would a baby. The way the cloaks were placed over her – Itachi's and the one she had already been wearing – her entire body was covered from her shoulders down.

The blonde went to protest, but Hidan covered her mouth and said,

"We don't want you getting recognised by anyone, do we?"

Yume stuck her tongue out defiantly.

The group left the room and walked down the hallway to the main dorm-room. When they reached it they found Kisame talking to a small boy - rather, he was gambling with the boy. Itachi walked over to the pair and cleared his throat. Kisame looked at him, then automatically left the boy and joined the group. They walked out of the other side of the room, down the hallway, down the staircases and out the front door, all the time answering the question of 'What's with the cloaks?' with 'Fuck off it's none of your business...but if you really want to know, it's a dead body.' - Obviously it was Hidan answering.

When they had reached the car-park, Itachi called for the limo and they waited. When it arrived, Hidan walked in first with Yume, who was now protesting that she could walk on her own, then closely followed by Itachi, Sasori, Tobi, Deidara and lastly Kisame.

They sat down in the limo and Yume pulled herself out from under the cloaks, still sat in Hidan's arms,

"Do you know how hot it is under those coats?"

Deidara laughed,

"I'll have mine back then if you don't want it, yeah."

"Urgh, fine," Yume replied. She knew she would have to give it back sometime anyway. She took the cloak off, leaving her back in her pyjamas, then handed it to Deidara. As the limo set off Yume managed to pull herself out of Hidan's arms and sat across from him and Deidara, with Tobi.

oOo

When they arrived at Yume's house, and Yume had stepped out of the limo the first thing she saw was Amaya stood on the top of the steps to the front door, wearing an apron and holding a whisk in her hand; covered in flour. She had her arms crossed and was glaring at Yume,

"Where the hell have you been, woman? I've been worried sick! You've been gone for hours!"

"Amaya... School ended about half an hour ago."

Amaya checked the little watch on her wrist,

"Damn... yeah, okay. My bad..."

Yume laughed. She said goodbye to the boys then walked up the path to her friend and pushed her through the front door.

"So...why are you covered in flour, Amaya?"

"I've been baking a cake for tonight!"

"How much alcohol did you put in it?" Yume asked in a slightly concerned tone. Amaya looked at her friend, her eyes wide with shock,

"Me? Would I do that?"

"Yes."

"...Yeah... you're right." Amaya held up a finger, "It was only half a bottle."

"...Of what?"

Amaya laughed nervously,

"Vodka..."

Yume slapped her friend upside the head. She thought to herself,

_'Tonight is going to be...wonderful.' _

_**'I'm doomed.'**_

* * *

_Deidara here! I knocked Sarah out to shut her up, and I think you'll agree it's safer for everyone, yeah._

_Also, sorry for the late-ness of the chapter, she's been too busy watching anime and spending all her money on Pocky and cookie-dough, yeah. Yes, that is the real reason! She's kept me quiet for too long, so now I have told you her secret, yeah!_

_We hope you liked the chapter, yeah._

_(Deidara acting as) X-Deidara's Lover-X_


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

Claimer: KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF YUME AND AMAYA, THEY'RE MINE!

* * *

Chapter 9.

It was '18:40' and Yume was in her bedroom sorting out what outfit to wear that night. It wouldn't be anything too short because in a house soon to be full of males it was just a bad idea. She pulled out the next trial outfit and put it on then turned round to look in the mirror on the front of her wardrobe.

_**'**This will do**.'**_

She brushed off the bottom of her dark-blue, Victorian-looking dress; pulling down on the bottom of her belled sleeves in an attempt to make the shoulder-pads stick out. She had quite a feeble frame so the ruffled sleeves helped give the impression she had quite broad shoulders. The dress itself was quite short; the petticoated skirt stopping about mid-thigh, then travelling up, the front of the corset was laced with ribbon - but Yume would never _EVER_ lace it properly ever again... not after last time when Amaya laced her up so tight she fainted. There was an assortment of lace and ruffles along the arms of the dress, ending in bell-bottom sleeves just above her wrists. At the top of the dress there was a panel of white material for modesty, neatly drawn together with a small dark blue bow around her neck as a collar.

Yume hobbled slightly over to her chest of drawers and pulled out a pair of long, white socks. She dropped down to the floor and put them on, pulling the fabric up to her knees. With them in place she jumped back up, running over to her wardrobe to pull out a pair of dark blue platform sandals. She wore them mainly, not for the practicality, but for the extra height. She was short.

Taking a few more minutes to get ready, as she was searching for discarded bits of make-up around her room, she noticed the necklace Hidan had given her lying on her bedside table. She decided to put it on, then scooped up her make-up, coated her face in foundation and concealer - madly trying to hide the fading-but-not-completely-gone bruises, then brushed her cheeks with a small amount of blusher and circled her eyes with the eye-liner pen. No one could really tell she'd been in a fight now. Not unless they were looking for it.

Outside the room and down the staircase, Amaya was busy in the kitchen. She was preparing all the food for the party - or as the rest of the world knew it, making the largest feast this side of the globe. When Amaya grew up she wanted to be a chef... can't you tell? She put the pizza she'd made from scratch, using her home-made pizza base, into the oven then decided to check on the other fifteen meals cooking, boiling or freezing around the kitchen. This may have seemed like a lot of work, and that Yume was being selfish and wasn't helping at all, but when she'd tried to help by picking up a dessert dish to put it in the fridge, Amaya had nearly battered her hands off with a spatula. Yume wasn't allowed to help in the kitchen. Amaya made that very clear.

Yume walked down the stairs and into the kitchen where she saw Amaya in her chef-mode. Noticing this she crept back out of the room as quickly as possible, holding her hands back protectively. Back in the adjoining living-room she sat down on the sofa. All around the room there were extra chairs and a few more tables. Yume curled her legs up underneath her and began to think about what was going to be happening at the party.

_'Okay... who's coming? Akatsuki, Suigetsu, Haku and Kimimaro... maybe a few others from school... definitely Sakura and Temari, maybe some of the boys...**- **__**I'm so screwed**__****__-_ What was Amaya thinking of? Having a party on a school night! It's just not going to turn out well...'

Another twenty minutes later and Amaya was sat down next to her friend wearing a comfortable short black dress, red dolly shoes and a red bow in her hair - a bow so big it took up half of her head. Yume looked at her for a second, then laughed. Amaya glared at her.

"What?"

"You've got flour on your face."

Amaya wiped at her cheek.

"Did I get it?"

"No,"

"Where is it?"

"There." She poked Amaya on the nose. The raven-haired girl laughed and wiped it off. Suddenly there was a knock at the door, making both girls look in that direction.

"Let us in, Amaya!" Screamed a boy. Yume turned to her friend and laughed,

"You invited Naruto? You _hate _Naruto!"

Amaya scratched the back of her head sheepishly and laughed.

"I don't hate him! It's a friendly rivalry!"

Yume's laughed.

"And that's why you two were basically killing each other two days ago."

"Come on, woman!_ We_ fight all the time."

"That's true..."

"Yeah! See? Friends!"

"Amaya GET THE DOOR!"

"Oh...yeah...-GOING!"

Amaya jumped up and ran out of the room, heading for the front door. She opened it wide, almost being trampled as Naruto dived through the door. Behind him Sakura, Temari, Hinata, Shikamaru, Gaara and Kankuro entered in. Amaya jumped on Naruto, attempting to beat him to death. As this was happening, Yume got up from the sofa and called,

"Hi guys!" Sakura and Temari were the first to react, running into the living-room over to Yume, throwing their arms around her. Sakura squealed,

"I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Me too!" Temari added happily. They both let go of her then Temari started bouncing up and down excitedly, "and we hear there are some special guests coming tonight!"

Yume smiled, wondering inside how they knew already. Well... it was Akatsuki. News always seemed to get around fast with them.

"Yeah. Akatsuki and their bodyguard, Kisame are coming over," Amaya punched the air, mouthing, 'Yeah! Kisame's coming!' "-Oh, and Amaya, there are a few other people coming..."

The raven-haired girl's eyes locked onto Yume, her foot in place on Naruto's head. She ask cautiously,

"Who? Ooh! Some other famous band?" Her eyes sparkled, "Killer Bee?" She jumped up and down; barely missing Naruto's face each time, "He's the best damn rapper in the world!"

Yume laughed, half wishing it was him just to keep Amaya happy.

"Well no...- today when I got dragged to the guys' school they said they had something for me," the girls in the room held their breath, and even a couple of the guys looked interested, "It turned out they'd found a new band for me so I didn't have to stay with Sasuke and Ino."

Suddenly Yume found herself pinned to the sofa by the three other girls - Hinata being too shy to be so forward - with them firing questions such as:

"Are there any guys?"

"Do they have girlfriends?"

"Are they hot?"

And so on...

Luckily for Yume, Shikamaru decided to intervene.

"Guys, leave Yume alone. Obviously these new guys are coming to the party, so you can see them then. Give Yume room to breathe."

Sakura and Amaya backed off, but Temari was persistent; persistent up to the point where Gaara said in a dark, warning tone,

"Temari. Leave her alone."

"Right! Sorry Gaara." And she back off, laughing nervously. Yume looked at her two male friends.

"Thanks,"

They both nodded back. There was another knock at the door. Time seemed to go in slow-motion. All heads turned to the door. The five girls stood up. Temari and Sakura launched themselves out of the room towards the door, closely followed by Amaya. Hinata laughed, seeing the looks of determination on the girls' faces, and Yume stayed where she was, slapping her hand to her forehead.

Sakura, being at the front, dived for the door handle but before she managed to put her fingers on the doorknob, Temari grabbed her by the waist but got caught by Sakura's foot so the pair fell to the ground. Amaya - who was at the back of the group - jumped the two bodies on the floor, wrapped her hand around the doorknob and pulled the door open.

She gave a warm smile, shoved her two friends from the doorway with her foot then said to the guests outside,

"Hi guys! Glad you could make it!... Hey, who are those guys?... Ooh, I know who you are!"

Amaya turned her head and shouted in to Yume, "Yume, Akatsuki and your guys are here!"

"'Kay!" She replied, blushing at the phrase 'your guys'. Amaya moved out of the way and let Itachi, Kisame, Sasori, Deidara, Hidan, Tobi, Kimimaro, Suigetsu and Haku into the house. Those who had already seen the inside of Yume's house walked into the living-room and talked to the other guests, whilst the others looked around curiously.

Amaya walked back into the room and clapped her hands together.

"Okay people! Food is in he kitchen, music is in here! LET'S SMARTIE PARTY!"

oOo

Twenty-five minutes later and everyone was enjoying themselves, even Itachi. Yume was enjoying herself more so than expected. She was currently sat with Haku, talking about the Akatsuki - you see although Haku was an Akatsuki fan, since he basically lived with them he had a lot of dirt on every member and Yume wanted to know as much as possible. Others were also talking with each other, even the usually silent ones. That was the thing about Amaya's parties, she could make anyone talk, even if she had to force them to...which had happened a few times.

Speaking of who, Amaya was in the kitchen talking with Gaara. He had asked about why Yume had been missing so much school. Amaya automatically took this the wrong way and said, waving a bottle at him,

"Don't get any ideas sunshine, Yume is not on offer!"

"I don't want to date her!" He said defencively, "And why? Has she gotten a boyfriend without telling me?"

"No, no, no, no. She just doesn't really want a boyfriend. I'm her new bodyguard...so back off sand-man!" She said, getting into a ninja stance but swaying slightly. Gaara sighed, took the bottle from her and walked off with it. Amaya called after him angrily,

"GET BACK HERE WITH MY DRINK-... HEY! TOBI! GIMME' THAT MUFFIN!"

Amaya wasn't known for her attention-span.

Gaara entered the living-room and handed the drink to the first person he walked past – Hidan – then he continued walking towards where his siblings were; they were talking with Suigetsu. The boy was currently sat with Temari and Kankuro, laughing and joking. Gaara reached his family, walked over to Kankuro and leaned down to whisper in his ear. Hearing what his brother had to say, Kankuro's face broke out into a devious smile, then he whispered to Suigetsu who also broke out into a smirk. The two boys stood up and walked over to the speakers, then when Suigetsu switched the music off, Kankuro called out to the room,

"All right, hands up! Who wants to play 'seven minutes in heaven'?" 75% of the room put their hands up, including Yume – like the rest of the girls, she wanted the chance to spend as much time in the closet with one of the boys as possible. Kankuro smiled again. "All right. Write or draw something on the piece of paper then stick it in this hat." He said, grabbing a cap off the floor. Suigetsu ripped up some paper and handed it out to anyone who wanted to play, then with the help of his friend, Kimimaro, collected the pieces of paper in again. They put them into the hat and shuffled them up a bit.

Kankuro walked into the middle of the room and spun himself round with his eyes closed. When he stopped and opened his eyes again, he was looking at Naruto,

"You're first, Naruto."

"Yeah! Believe it!" The blonde stood up and ran over to Kankuro, plunging his hand in to the hat. He pulled out a piece of paper and gave his usual goofy grin, opening it. When he'd seen what was on the paper, he called out, "Who drew the che-"

Kankuro took it off him and Suigetsu walked up to the boy, put a blindfold on him, dragged him by his collar, threw him into the kitchen pantry and closed the door. Naruto started yelling but Suigetsu called back in to him,

"Don't worry, they'll be in with you in a minute." Then he added, "It doesn't matter if you take the blindfold off because," He flicked a small switch by the pantry door, "You won't be able to see anyway!"

Back in the front room Kankuro held up the piece of paper with a laugh and shouted,

"Not like I can't guess, but who drew the cherry blossom?"

All eyes turned to Sakura. She raised her hand in defence,

"Hell no! I didn't draw that!"

There was a cough from the other side of the room.

"I did." Shikamaru said, raising his hand. Some of the others burst out laughing, realising Shikamaru was spending seven minutes with Naruto in a small space. Not the best of situations.

Shikamaru stood up, walked across to the kitchen and over to Suigetsu, who opened the door and pushed him in, quickly closing the door afterwards. He set the timer on the oven and leaned against the door.

As some of the other people went into the kitchen to listen, the first thing they heard was:

"Oh Sakura, I'm so glad I get to spend some a_lone_ time with you."

Then,

"Aughh! Naruto! Get off me, I'm not Sakura!"

Nearly everyone burst out into fits of laughter. Even more so when they heard Shikamaru banging against the door, trying to escape.

When the timer chimed and Suigetsu opened the door, Shikamaru fell out of the door onto the floor, holding Naruto off him with all his strength. When the blonde realised that it actually **hadn't** been Sakura in the pantry with him, and it was _Shikamaru_ he was trying to kiss now, he quickly jumped off Shikamaru and ran over to the sink. Everyone turned away from him.

Suigetsu offered Shikamaru his hand, who took it, so he pulled the brunette up and patted him on the shoulder,

"Hope you had fun." He said with a smirk. Shikamaru just sighed, slightly annoyed and very tired; Naruto was very persistent **and** strong.

When everyone was back in the living room, Kankuro spun around again and opened his eyes, "Hidan! You're go!"

oOo

For the next hour the group all played seven minutes in heaven together. Most of the time people would just end up laughing, but other times nothing would happen and people would just yell, "No fair!"

For the goodness-only-knows-time, Kankuro stood in the middle and spun round, failing due to his rising alcohol intoxication. He stumbled and opened his eyes.

"Kisame! Go, go, go!"

Kisame laughed and stumbled off into the kitchen, grabbing a six-pack of beer as he went past. Kankuro shouted, "Idiot! You forgot to pick someone!" There was no reply. Kankuro put his hand into the hat and pulled out a piece of paper. "Ooh, haven't had this one yet." He turned to the room. "Who drew the muffin?"

"Ooh! Ooh! That's me!" Amaya said, jumping up. She dashed across the room and sped into the kitchen. Suigetsu opened the door and didn't even get chance to push her in because she launched herself into the darkness head first.

Yume, who had been patting Haku on the head and telling him everything was okay (He had been put in the closet with Tobi), giggled at her drunken friend.

Inside the 'closet' Amaya picked herself up off the floor and look round, trying to find Kisame. She laughed. "Fish-sticks! Where are you?"

"Oh -hiccup- great! Heya, Amaya!" He laughed, "Ha! It rhymed!"

"Oh my god, it did!" Amaya fell on the floor, laughing again. Kisame smiled and took one of the beer cans. He held it out.

"Want one?"

Amaya sat up.

"Yup!" She took the can and opened it. Since her eyes had adjusted, Amaya could see the outline of Kisame, so she crawled over to him and put her arm around his shoulders. "Buddy," She took a swig of her drink, "I can tell this is the start of a B-E-A-utiful friendship!"

Outside the closet again, people were listening in. Naruto crossed his arms over his chest. "No fair! They're not doing anything!" But then he heard,

"Wow! That's huge!"

"...I stand corrected." And with that the blonde basically glued his ear to the door, along with a few others. They heard Amaya ask excitedly,

"Can I touch it?"

The other voice replied,

"Sure."

A second later, Amaya said, amazed,

"It's so hard!"

Suigetsu had to run to the sink, holding his bleeding nose. Now, what was _actually_ going on in the pantry was:

Amaya was holding a large, metal pee-shooter. Kisame's to be precise. He carried it around with him to protect the Akatsuki. Amaya had always wanted a pee-shooter, and now was just perfect timing. She held it up to her lips, then asked Kisame,

"Can I blow it?"

Kisame laughed. "Yeah, sure."

Amaya was about to blow down it when she heard lots of footsteps outside the door, running away. She giggled,

"Wonder what's up with them." And with that, she put a piece of paper in the end and shot it. The paper smacked Kisame in the face, so he yelled, dived on her and tried to get the pee-shooter from her. She started laughing and screaming. "Let go!"

Suddenly the door opened and light filled the room. The pair looked up to see Yume and Gaara looking back down at them. The blonde, seeing the pee-shooter, gave a sigh of relief. She called out to the room,

"Told you! They've just been fighting over a pee-shooter." followed by a few disappointed calls. Yume walked in to the closet and helped Amaya up from under Kisame, then when she had passed Amaya to Gaara, she helped Kisame up and took the remaining few beer cans out of the pantry. She put the empty ones in the bin and left the other ones on the table.

She walked in to the living-room again and sat down. Kankuro span himself around and fell over, ending up pointing at the ceiling. Suigetsu ran in and picked him up, then threw him into a seat. Then he walked to the centre of the room and span round with his eyes shut. He opened his eyes to see Yume.

"Okay, cutie. Your go." He walked over to the blonde and held the hat out in front of her. She put her hand in and pulled out a piece of paper, then handed it to Suigetsu. He took her by the shoulders and wrapped the blindfold around her eyes.

"Can you see?"

"Nope."

"Alright." Suigetsu passed her to Itachi, who walked her through to the kitchen and in to the pantry. He closed the door and flicked off the light switch, then walked back to the front room and leaned against the wall. Suigetsu opened the piece of paper and smirked.

"Well, well,"

If Suigetsu had looked up from the piece of paper, he would have seen a good few sets of eyes staring at him - waiting anxiously to see who was going in to the closet with Yume; two of which being Deidara and Hidan. Suigetsu called out,

"Get going bone-boy."

Everyone looked round to see Kimimaro stand up. He walked over to his friend and took the piece of paper. Suigetsu smirked.

"What? Don't you trust me or something, Kimimaro?"

"Well," Kimimaro, seeing the bone on the paper, walked off into the kitchen and over to the pantry. He opened the door to see Yume sat on the floor in her cute, dark-blue dress; blindfolded and looking rather defenceless - had it been Suigetsu she was with, she would most definitely be screwed (probably literally). Luckily for her, he was more of a gentleman than Suigetsu.

Kimimaro moved forward into the pantry and closed the door behind him. Yume tensed, hearing that a person was now in the room with her. She called out quietly,

"Who's there?"

Kimimaro didn't say anything, but instead, walked over to the girl on the floor and bent down to her level. Yume put her hands out to feel for someone, coming in contact with Kimimaro's face. She placed her hand on his cheek and felt across his face. She decided to take off her blindfold, but couldn't get the knot undone.

"What did Suigetsu do with this?" Then she stopped, "You're not Suigetsu, right?"

"No, I'm not." He decided to help her remove the blindfold, since she had seemed to freeze. As he undid the knot, Yume said,

"I-I don't recognise the voice, so... are you Kimima-" The blindfold dropped, "-ro."

"Hello."

"Hi." **'_Aaahhhhhh! HE'S HOT!_'**

"You look shocked."

"I-" Yume was very glad that the room was dark, or Kimimaro would have definitely seen her blush. "No, I was just curious to see who I would be spending seven minutes with."

There was a short pause, then, "Are you satisfied it being me?"

"Oh, yes," Yume laughed slightly, "I'm just glad it's not some pervert or some molester."

"Oh," In what little light there was, Yume saw Kimimaro move and place his hand on the wall next to her head. He leaned in and pressed his body against hers slightly, gazing in to her eyes. He took hold of her chin in his other hand and tilted her head up to look at him, then leaned his face in so his lips were but centimetres away from her own quivering ones. He whispered, "And what makes you think that I'm not?"

Yume's voice caught in her throat. "I-I-...umm..."

Kimimaro chuckled and pulled away. "Don't worry though, I'm not."

Yume let out a sigh of relief. She clasped her hands together to stop herself from smacking the white-haired boy upside the face (a habit she had picked up from Amaya). Instead she said, taking deep breaths to calm herself, "Please don't do that again."

Kimimaro sat down on the floor and leaned against the wall behind him, looking at Yume. "I wasn't planning to."

Yume gave a small smile. She also leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes, listening to the noises from outside; mostly Amaya and Naruto. It was late by now and since Yume wasn't one to go to too many parties, she was starting to fall asleep. Her head started to droop, but then she realised and jolted it up again. Her eyes had completely settled into the light, so she could see the things around her quite clearly. She looked over at Kimimaro and smiled to herself.

'_He's a nice guy. I hope so at least...'_

_**'Yeah. Just be glad we didn't get stuck with Naruto!'**_

'_um-hmm. I wouldn't be able to stand it. I mean, I love him...but he's so loud!'_

_**'Tch'**_

Yume looked over at Kimimaro again, then saw that he was looking back at her and looked away, blushing.

_**'YOU ARE SHIT WITH BOYS!'**_

_'Thanks...'_

Yume began to play with the hem of her dress, laughing slightly at her inner-mind. She looked up at the door and saw the shadows moving around in the kitchen, wondering what horrors could be happening. Suddenly Yume saw the lights go out. There was a sudden girlish scream. Yume shot up and went to the door but she felt two arms wrap around her own. It was now too dark to see, but Yume knew that Kimimaro had grabbed hold of her. She turned her head and asked,

"What are you doing?"

There was a small pause, then he replied,

"If there is a scream, do you think it's the best idea just to charge in?"

"W-well..." Yume sighed, "No."

Kimimaro rubbed her arms and gave her his rare smile, that neither she nor anyone else would ever see if he had anything to do with it. He was well known as an emotionless person, not to be reckoned with, and wasn't about to let that go.

He pulled Yume away from the door and sat her against the back wall, sitting down next to her. There were noises emitting from the living-room.

_-(Outside the pantry, two minutes ago)-_

_Suigetsu had his ear pressed against the door, listening to his friend inside the pantry. As a rather tipsy (and rather loud) Kankuro walked past, Suigetsu stuck his leg out and tripped him up, sending him crashing to the floor, unconscious._

_As Suigetsu was listening, there was a noise from outside and all the lights went out. Naruto screamed and then someone hit him over the head. There were more noises, one like glass breaking, then people scrambling around, then_ _a creaking door. Everyone went __**very**__ quiet. Gaara called in his low, deadly tone,_

"_Who's there?"_

_-(back to present time)-_

There was no answer. A loud smash was heard, then people closer to the hallway began to cough and splutter. Someone called, "Stink-bomb!" to warn the others closer to the back. Another person managed to get to the window and open it, but just afterwards they were hit with something and fell to the ground in pain. No one could see what was happening, minus one person. That same person made their way casually over to the large door frame, through it – out into the hall – and walked over to the main power supply for the house. They opened the door and flicked on the emergency switch.

All of the lights suddenly flickered back on. A second later there was a large chorus of, "YOU!" from the living room. Itachi walked back in to the room and placed a hand on one of the two trespassers' shoulders. When one of the two looked round, he saw it to be Itachi and glared. Itachi replied with,

"Foolish little brother. Why bother try to crash the party?"

Sasuke didn't reply. He huffed and crossed his arms. Suddenly a certain female voice called oh-so-delicately,

"HEY! SASGAY! BACK FOR SOME MORE ARE -hiccup- WE?"

The raven-haired boy took the slightest step back, realising that it was Amaya who had spoke. He still had the black-eye from the day before. The (also raven-haired) girl rose unsteadily to her feet and gave Sasuke a death glare. She cracked her knuckles. This seemed to be a signal because at that moment Kisame and Hidan also rose to their feet. The three took a few steps towards Sasuke, until his accomplice cried,

"Don't you dare put your hands on _my _Sasuke-kun!" Then ran at the group. Amaya looked at the charging girl and laughed. She said, her words very slurred,

"Get 'em, Sakura!" and immediately the pink haired girl jumped up from her chair and charged at her nemesis, Ino. Thus ensuing a cat-fight. As other jeered and whistled, Amaya, Hidan, Kisame and a few others rounded on Sasuke.

Yume had been hoping to have a clean house (or clean-ish). That was never going to happen in a million years. Amaya was going to die. Yume would make sure of it.

Back inside the closet, Yume was squirming underneath Kimimaro, who was currently sat on top of her, keeping her from running outside into goodness only knows. He said quietly,

"It's for your own good."

"But-"

"They'll be fine."

"But if _they'll _be fine, why wont I?"

"I'm not letting you take that chance."

"But there's probably nothing going on!"

Kimimaro sighed, realising her reasoning. "So then why do you want to go outside so badly?"

"I-...Ugh! Fine!" Yume stopped struggling and lay still on the floor; it was only then that she truly realised the weight on top of her. "I... can't… breathe!"

Kimimaro looked down at the blonde again and saw her beginning to turn red in the face. He stood up, then turned round and helped Yume off the floor, who became a little dizzy and swayed on the spot, then fell back on to the floor with a bump. Kimimaro gave a _small_ smirk and looked down at her.

"Are you alright?"

Yume laughed sheepishly, rubbing the small of her back, "Umm...yeah."

She looked up at Kimimaro for a second, then flipped herself over on to her feet and ran to the door, but Kimimaro managed to grab hold of her around the waist and pulled her back. He stopped her from falling back into him, then pushed her gently against a wall.

"Yume, I thought we had a dea-"

There was a sudden yell from outside the closet, then a crashing sound, then another yell, and then something fell against the door; making Yume jump. She looked at the door and wriggled around again, trying to get free.

_'__**Why do boys have to be so over-protective?'**_

"Kimimaro, I need to see what's happening!"

He looked at Yume's worrying face and replied gently,

"It's okay, everything will be alright. Don't worry."

'_**Ugghh...'**_

There was a distant scream, then the sound of a door slamming, then everything went silent. Yume stopped moving, trying to listen out for anything. Kimimaro let go of her and made his way to the door. He reached it in a couple of seconds and took hold of the wooden door-knob. He twisted it and pushed. It wouldn't open. He tried again. Still nothing. He tried for the third time, but this time he slammed himself against the door. It still didn't open. He opened his mouth and went to say something, but as he did, the music started playing full blast again.

Kimimaro turned away from the door to look at Yume again.

"There's no point in shouting because they won't hear us now." He said, putting his hand to his forehead. Yume looked at him, holding the bottom of her dress. She asked,

"Does that mean we're stuck in here?"

"Until someone decides to get us out, then yes."

"Oh," She replied. Yume sank down to the floor and crossed her legs. Whilst playing with the hem of her dress again, she said in a sing-song voice, "Well, it's not so bad~! They'll get us out eventually!"

Kimimaro looked down at her curiously. "Do you have a-" He stopped. "Never mind."

Yume stopped twiddling her dress and looked back, just as curious, "What?"

"It's nothing."

"But-"

"Nothing." Kimimaro insisted. Yume pouted.

"Oh come on!" She stood up and stamped her foot, "Please!"

Kimimaro walked over to her, looking directly at her, trying to intimidate her. Yume stood her ground, her arms crossed. Kimimaro decided a different tactic. He reached his arms out and began tickling her sides.

"No!" He said.

Yume fell to the floor laughing.

-(Outside the Closet)-

It was now three in the morning. Everyone was still dancing, but only half-heartedly, and even Amaya and Naruto were quieter than normal. Shikamaru, being one of the only ones just sober enough to know what they were doing, walked over to the music-player and turned it off. He called out,

"Everyone, get to sleep. We've got school in the morning."

Most of the people in the room agreed, and those that didn't were simply dragged off to get their sleeping stuff by their friends. Shikamaru followed the group out to get his stuff as well. The room became silent.

-(Inside the Closet)-

Yume was back on the floor, still laughing slightly. She looked up at Kimimaro, who had stopped tickling her suddenly. He was staring at the door.

"What is it?" She asked curiously.

"The music has stopped."

Yume sat up, straining her ears.

"I can't hear anything." She said. Yume, having the mind she had, suddenly jumped to the worst possible conclusion, "They're all dead!"

Kimimaro looked down at her and smirked a little,

"How did you get that idea?"

"I bet the person from before has come back and killed them all!" little tears formed in her eyes. "I never got to tell Amaya how grateful I am for her being here...if she wasn't... I would have starved to death-" She put on a serious face, "Seriously, I can't cook-"

Kimimaro suddenly leaned forward and took Yume in a hug,

"Don't worry. They're okay."

Yume would have retorted, but she was too busy stopping herself from fainting in shock. Her face had turned beet red, and she was **so** glad that it was dark.

Kimimaro shifted their positions so that he was resting against the back wall of the pantry and Yume was leaning against his chest, their legs out in front of them. He decided to distract Yume's attention so she wouldn't worry as much,

"What do you think of your new band members then?"

"Umm... you're okay."

"Good. I think you'll get along with Haku the best, he's more...let's say...feminine than Suigetsu or me- Oh, and speaking of which, Suigetsu isn't as bad as he will seem, so just try to get past the...slight pervertedness."

Yume giggled slightly, "Okay." She looked up at him, "Umm, I'm just curious but when is the first band practice?"

"Well we could make it tomorrow if you want-" Kimimaro corrected himself, "Today, that is."

Yume nodded her head half-heartedly; sleep overtaking her rapidly. Kimimaro continued. "We have an upcoming concert soon, if you learn the songs, you can do it with us.. It's only in school so you don't have to worry about there being a lot of peopl-"

Yume's head had drooped on Kimimaro's chest. Her breathing was heavier and her body has gone limp.

_'She fell asleep fast...'_

Kimimaro readjusted Yume so her head was laying in his lap and her body was to the right of him. She immediately curled herself up into a loose ball and moved closer to Kimimaro. He looked down, a little wary for a moment, then slowly moved his hand and placed it on the top of her head. When she didn't move, he stroked her hair gently.

_'I hope Suigetsu didn't plan all of this. Always trying to pair me off with some girl. Although...' _He looked down at Yume's sleeping form in his lap, _'This time, he hasn't made such a bad choice. Maybe I should thank him.'_

Kimimaro stayed like that for another ten or so minutes, stroking Yume's blonde hair, then ever so slowly his eyelids began to get heavy. He heard the faint noises from outside; the others going to sleep. It wasn't long before Kimimaro's eyelids closed completely and he too fell asleep, his hand still atop Yume's head.

* * *

_I hope you liked it; I enjoyed writing this chapter! Oh! And guess what? I have discovered the almightiness that is cookie-dough ice-cream! It's just as good as cookie-dough! Expect more randomness and silliness in the later chapters!_

_Deidara__: Whoever invented cookie-dough ice-cream...I __**hate **__you, yeah! I'LL NEVER GET A FULL NIGHT'S SLEEP AGAIN! I'm going to have to peel her off the walls…-unless I put her in a straight-jacke- that's not a bad idea..._

_Me:__ uhh... (runs away with cookie-dough ice-cream) SEE YOU ROUND GUYS!_

_X-Deidara's Lover-x_


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Naruto / Naruto Shippuden

Claimer: Yeah, you know the drill people! I don't have to explain myself to you AGAIN! (walks off)

Deidara: Uhh... okay then, yeah. Well, Sarah's not had any sugar lately so she's all stressy, so I'll introduce the chapter, yeah! It's shorter than the rest, but it's all you're getting for now. Hope you enjoy it, yeah!

* * *

Chapter 10

The sound of a very loud cough was what woke Yume from her sleep. Her eyelids opened slowly and she went to sit up, but felt a hand draped over waist and nearly screamed. The room was dark and she couldn't tell who it was; but then she remembered the night before. Her face turned beat-red; she had just spent the night in a closet with Kimimaro Kaguya - her new band member - and had her head currently resting in his lap, close to a place she was trying hard not to think about.

She looked up at Kimimaro and saw that he was still sleeping. Yume lifted herself out of his lap, then went to sit up, but hit her foot on something, making another something come crashing to the floor, smacking Yume in the leg. She let out a yelp of pain, then realising how loud she was being, she turned to look at Kimimaro.

_'Oh good, he's still-'_

_**'No he's not.'**_

Kimimaro was looking at Yume with mild confusion. It looked as though he too had no idea why he'd just woken up in a pantry.

Yume rubbed her leg, looking back at the white-haired boy.

"H-hello. How did you sleep?" She said in a croaky voice, her throat sore from sleeping in such a dry room.

"Fine, thank you." He replied quietly. Yume gave him a quick smile, then rose to her feet unsteadily. She made her way over to the door and tried the handle again, but she couldn't get it open. She whined, then kicked the door in frustration. As she was turning back to look at Kimimaro, Yume felt an arm wrap around her waist and pull her into one side of the pantry, out of the way. She watched the white-haired boy walk to the back of the pantry, turn round, then run at the door. After shoulder-barging it, it literally swung of its hinges and flew into the room in front. Yume walked forward, out of the pantry and viewed the scene in front of her. Her jaw hit the floor.

There were the bodies of hungover teenagers lying where their little drunken legs had given way. Bits of food were stained into the carpet and the walls...and the ceiling. Tobi was taped to the wall, now fast asleep. There were only a couple of others awake; one being Kisame - who was currently trying to prise a goldfish from a beer bottle, saying through tears, "Don't worry Mister McBubbles! I'll get you out!", a random kid who was trying to lick pizza off the wall, and Amaya who was sat on top of the upturned sofa, watching Twilight, drooling at Jasper like the crazy fan-girl she was. Yume continued to look over the scene in front of her.

Kimimaro rubbed his shoulder and looked down at the door he had just broken. It was only then that he realized someone was **underneath** the bits of wood. They must have been leaning against the door, and that was the reason why he and Yume had been trapped in the pantry all night. He bent down and quickly set to removing the door from on top of the poor, helpless, unfortuna-...It was Suigetsu. Kimimaro just let the wood fall back on top of the unconscious boy and stood up again as if nothing had happened. Making sure Yume was not looking, he reached over to the side and picked up a hammer that just so happened to be lying there, and strategically dropped it in-between fragments of the door in a place where it would hopefully hurt Suigetsu most...If you understand what I mean.

He looked back at Yume when he realised she hadn't moved from the same spot she had been stood in for the past few minutes. She was still looking at the room in front of her, but with a very dazed expression on her face. Kimimaro clicked his fingers in front of her eyes. Nothing. He moved round so he was looking directly at her. He bent down to look at her face. If he didn't know any better, he could have sworn he'd seen steam coming from her ears.

As he studied her more closely, she just stood there, looking forward; until she suddenly blinked, clapped her hands together and a wide smile spread across her face. Without saying a word, she ran back into the pantry, then reappeared with a couple of cloths in one hand; furniture polish in the other; a mop under her arm and the bucket on her head. Kimimaro watched her walk to the kitchen table, put everything down, then took the bucket over to the sink. She turned the tap on and let it start to fill with water. As it did, she took one of the cloths and sprayed it with furniture polish. Then it all started.

It was only until ten minutes later that Amaya looked round to see Yume in the kitchen with a mop in her hand and a cloth on both of her elbows, held in place with tape she had found next to Tobi, along with sponges covered in soap on her feet. Amaya stood up and yelled at Kimimaro, who was the only other person she could see at the time,

"WHAT THE HELL-" she clutched her head, whispering to herself, "Don't yell with a hangover Amaya...you should know that by now." Then she looked back at Kimimaro and said in her normal voice, "Why did you let Yume go into her clean-freak mode, you freakin' idiot?" She slapped her hand to her forehead. "She ain't going to stop for another six hours...or until the house is clean...which ever comes first..." Kimimaro looked at her blankly. A vein popped out on her forehead, "Don't just stand there! Help her, she is off sick you know! I don't want her getting any more injuries!"

Kimimaro continued just to look at her for a moment, then walked over to the table and picked up a cloth. Yume looked at him, an insane smile on her face. She giggled in a way that made a shiver run up his spine, and said, "Thank you, Kimimaro...your help is appreciated..." He was half expecting her head to do a 360 degree turn next. She turned back to the floor she was mopping, then skated away on her soap-covered sponge skis, singing 'They're coming to take me away, ha-haa' to herself.

Kimimaro watched her continue to sing and clean, then felt a hand on his back. He turned and looked at Amaya. She gave him another pat,

"And that my friend, is why we don't let Yume go in to her crazy clean-freak mode, got it?"

Kimimaro nodded. Amaya smiled, then turned round and walked back in to the living room. She looked around for anyone else that was awake. Finding none, she decided to make her own. She kicked every body that she came to, hard, then she grabbed the person who was still licking pizza from the wall, yelled,

"WHO THE HELL ARE-...ughhh..hangover. Who the hell are you?" and tossed him out of the closest window. She turned round to see some of the people rising to their feet - most clutching their heads. Next she walked out into the hallway and grabbed Sakura, shaking her awake.

"H-huh? Oh...Amaya...what do you want?" She said sleepily. Amaya replied,

"Get in the living room and tidy up."

"Yume went clean-freak again?"

"Yup."

That was all that needed to be said. Sakura woke herself up and ran off to the living room at top speed. Amaya carried on down the house, kicking people awake, or just dropping various items on them if that didn't work. Then she walked back and turned up the staircase. She got to the top and walked along the corridor, heading for the large green sleeping bag lying at the other end. She reached it and bent down. Everything was totally silent - she knew she would regret it because of the hangover but...

"SHIKAMARU, WAKE UP!"

The said boy nearly jumped up and out of his sleeping bag...but ended up standing up inside it, looking a lot like a giant caterpillar. Amaya could tell he was stood in a defensive position, and laughed, clutching at her head slightly.

"Go downstairs and clean up."

"Ugh fine..." He started to walk off down the corridor, then realised he was in his sleeping-bag still, and fell forward. He hit the ground and rolled out. Amaya had to stifle a laugh. Shikamaru looked back at her, sighed, then turned round with his hands in his pockets and headed for the stairs.

Amaya arrived at the last three rooms. She opened the first one and walked in. Taped to the wall, much like Tobi, was Hidan, but unlike Tobi, Hidan was still trying to claw his way out. He hadn't slept all night, and you could tell. His face was a mess, there was giant circles under his eyes and his hair was sticking out on every angle.

Amaya walked up to him and ripped the duck-tape off his mouth. Hidan let out a small yelp of pain, then glared at her.

"Why the fuck did you tie me up in here, you crazy-ass bitch?"

Amaya replied, "Because there is no way in hell I'm letting you anywhere close to Yume when it's night, and I'm asleep. God only know what you'd do to her!"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Hey!" Amaya smiled, "You can never be too careful!"

Hidan grunted, then said, "Fine, just get me down."

"Duh! That's what I came to do!" She said as she took hold of one of the strips of tape. She pulled.

Down in the living room, people stared at the ceiling in horror as screams of pure agony were heard.

Amaya left the room after letting Hidan go, then crossed the landing to the opposite door. She opened it to reveal Deidara – also taped to the wall. He was looking at her, his visible eye wide. Amaya walked over and pulled off the tape from him mouth. He said in a petrified whisper,

"What did you just do to Hidan, yeah? I heard screaming!"

"Yeah, because of-"

Everyone stared at the ceiling again as more screams were heard. Sakura threw her cloth down and ran into the hallway. She turn and headed for the staircase, but got shoved back by Hidan's hand in her face.

"Don't bother." He said to her. She looked at him for a second, then stopped herself laughing. Hidan was covered head to foot in patches of bright red skin, where Amaya has so _gently_ removed the tape from his body.

Amaya left Deidara's room and knocked on the last door. There was no answer so she opened it as quietly as she could and stepped inside. Lying on the bed in front of her was none other than Itachi Uchiha, covered in a pink blanket, surrounded by lots of little paper cut-out love-hearts. She walked over to him and checked if he was awake. He wasn't. She turned round and walked back out the door. Two seconds later, she barged through the door, making as much noise as possible. Itachi woke up and looked around, wondering what all the noise was. Amaya pretended to be out of breath.

"Phew...**there** you are!... we couldn't find you anywhere!"

Itachi looked at the bed he was lying on.

"I'm not sure how I got here, to be honest."

Amaya scratched her chin. "Hmm...maybe somebody moved you."

Itachi picked up one of the love-hearts.

"I think you're right. I'm guessing a fan-girl who wanted to make sure I was comfortable."

Amaya snapped her fingers. "My thoughts exactly-"

"-They have bad taste though." He cut in, scrunching up the paper heart. Amaya watched him open his hand and drop the crumpled paper on the floor. She gave him a smile, then said,

"Yeah...what bad taste! Well, got to go downstairs now, We're all tidying up!" and ran out of the room. She closed the door behind her. As she walked along the corridor, she mumbled to herself,

"Bad taste... no appreciation...!"

Everyone was cleaning and tidying the house by now. Yume had calmed down from her cleaning-frenzy, and was currently cleaning the floor of the hallway...with only **one** cloth, and no mop, or sponges. **Just** a cloth.

There was a sudden knock at the door. About four different people answered, "I'll get it!" but considering she was closest, and it _was _her house, Yume got up off the floor and walked to the door. She grabbed the door handle, and pulled it open.

Amaya ran across the landing to the top of the stairs, ever curious to see who it was at the door. She ran down the stairs, looking at Yume, who seemed to be standing frozen solid, her hand still on the door handle. Amaya reached her friend and looked out the door. Her mouth dropped.

A few of the others from the living room walked out into the hallway, a yelling Naruto and a Sakura dusting a teapot included. They looked at the two friends staring out of the door. Yume spoke, almost in a whisper,

"Why?"

The two people walked through the door. The woman said, "Well, are we not allowed to drop in and say hi to our own _daughter_?"

Sakura dropped the teapot. It smashed on the floor.

* * *

_BAM! Makes you want to read the next chapter, right? (Laughing)  
_

_X-Deidara's Lover-X_


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I _STILL_ don't own them! Nothings changed.

Claimer: You know the drill. No stealing of Yume and Amaya, no attacking from me!

Me: Well, first things first... HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Deidara: You're late y'know, yeah

Me: Yeah well... I didn't really have time write around the holidays (looks at reader) you know what I mean, right?... (silence)

Deidara: They're probably ignoring you because you scare them so much, yeah.

Me: (looks shocked) I don't scare them! They love me! And we all live happily ever after! (wanders off into little world of happy pixies and buttercups)

Deidara: o.O ... (looks at reader) Okay... you all know she's insane so you shouldn't be surprised by now, yeah. Just read the chapter and I will... get her booked into a mental-home! (Grins)

* * *

Chapter 11

Everyone was trying to crowd into the living room; trying to see what was going on, but Amaya, Hidan and Sakura were blocking them off in the hallway.

Yume was sat alone on one of the (now upright) chairs; the two newcomers taking residence on the large sofa together. There was an uncomfortable silence as everyone waited for someone to speak.

It was actually Amaya who spoke first. When no one _had_ spoken, she'd yelled at Yume's parents,

"Why the hell did you come back? She was doing _just _fine without you!"

The woman with platinum blonde hair, shades and an obvious fake tan scoffed,

"Oh yes, we can see _that_." She said, only having to glance around the room to see the food stains and bits of shattered glass everywhere.

Amaya opened her mouth, about to yell something but Yume said timidly,

"Don't, Amaya."

Amaya caught herself then looked over at her friend and sighed, deciding to listen to Yume for once. Everyone out in the hallway was silent now, listening out for anything being said. There were only a few who knew of Yume's situation with her parents and they were: Amaya; Sakura; Sasori; Deidara; Hidan and Itachi. Everyone else, although most having known her for much longer, had no clue, so they were all trying to figure out what was going on.

Yume looked down at her feet again, unable to keep her eyes on her parents for long. Her hands were trembling and she was still in a state of shock. It had been eight years since the last time Yume had seen her parents, and the last memories she had of them were nothing to make her feel happy about. She could still remember that day as if it had been only a few hours ago. The yelling, the hitting, the screaming, and then the leaving her all alone. Yume could not see a reason for them returning now. It just didn't make sense.

She gulped, looked up and sniffed, then said,

"So...w-why- why have you come back?"

The woman was quick to reply, a small smile gracing her lips,

"Well, darling, me and your father had a talk and decided you obviously didn't mean to do all those silly little things when you were little, and you know better now not to go against us-" They didn't see Amaya's knuckles clench, "-so we've come back to tell you we want you back in our family, as our little girl."

Yume couldn't speak. There was actually no sentence in her head that would fit what she was feeling at the moment. She became flustered and started gasping and stuttering, trying to find something to say. She didn't know how she felt at the moment. ...Sure these two people had hurt her when she was younger, but they _were_ her parents after all. They had looked after her and clothed her and fed her. Maybe she _had_ done something wrong when she was younger, but she hadn't realised at the time...?

"Don't listen to them, Yume." Amaya said from the doorway. She was breathing heavily; her teeth clenched slightly. The others outside the room all started to look at her, realising she was shaking. She darted her eyes to Yume's parents, "Don't speak to her, you couple of pricks! She did nothing wrong, you just didn't want her! I don't even know why you've come back, but you should just leave because Yume doesn't want anything to do with you."

The blonde woman sneered.

"Amaya? Ah, I remember you. Always getting into trouble and causing problems. You always _were_ a little bitch."

The others had to wrap their arms around Amaya to stop her from pouncing on the woman. She was furious. The woman snickered again and turned her head to look back at Yume, only she had a hand connect with her cheek. She looked up to see Yume staring at her, the girl's eyes angry and confused.

"Don't you _dare_ say that to Amaya." She said sternly, "She's the one who looked after me after you two abandoned me. If she hadn't been there I don't know what I would have done!" This gained a few gasps from the crowd in the hallway. All of her secrets were spilling out now, but there was no point in stopping, "When you two left me I was heartbroken. You two meant the world to me! I didn't care how much you beat me and hurt me! I loved you! You don't know how many times I covered up those bruises!"

The people out in the hall were all staring, shocked and horrified. The woman in the room rose to her feet and said with a smile,

"But the beatings were for your own good, Yume! They helped you learn what's right from wrong. It's okay now, anyway! We're back! And we can look after you from now on." She put her arms out, "We can all be that loving, happy family again." She went to put her arms around Yume, but a fist in her face stopped her dead. She flew across the room and landed on the floor, wincing. It hadn't been Yume who had punched her.

Yume looked to her side to see Hidan. He was seething. His whole body was tense. He was glaring across the room at the woman on the floor. When she started to rise to her feet, Hidan stepped in front of Yume and pushed her back, sending her flying into Amaya, who caught her. Hidan growled. He tried to keep his composure.

"So. You're Yume's mother, right?"

The man, who had not spoken until now, rose to his feet and stood in front of his wife.

"That is no business of yours."

Hidan laughed - no humour there,

"Oh, I think it is. You see Yume is a _good_ friend of mine, and I don't like the thought of her being played for money."

Sasori called from the doorway,

"Hidan, don't."

He turned to Sasori and yelled angrily,

"Then get her out of here, because this needs to be fucking said!"

Sasori sighed, annoyed. He tapped Amaya on the back and gestured her to leave with Yume. She went to ask why, but Sasori said he would explain to her later. Amaya, having to use force, carried Yume out into the hallway and down the corridor. Sasori turned back to Hidan and told him to continue, then he, along with Deidara and Kisame, began to remove the other people from the house, throwing them out into the street, feeling what was going to be said next was a private matter.

Hidan turned to the two adults and continued,

"You can't use your own daughter just to get money."

"I don't know _what_ you mean." Her mother said with a sly smile, but regretted it when she had to duck from a flying picture frame. Hidan yelled,

"Don't think that because Yume's getting famous, you can just live off her. You didn't want her up until now, but now there's a chance she'll become rich so you're going to take her in with open arms." Hidan glared, "Isn't that right?"

The remaining people – Akatsuki – entered the living room, standing next to Hidan. It was Itachi who replied.

"Yes. It does make sense." He looked at the two adults. When he spoke his voice had an eerie calm about it, "I'm sorry to tell you this, but there is no way your filthy, money grabbing hands are getting near to Yume's money." His eyes tensed, "She'll be working hard for it, and I'm sorry, you just don't deserve it."

The man sighed over-exaggeratedly,

"Well, I'm sorry to tell _you_ this, but you have no say in the matter."

Deidara smiled then, seeing it was his turn to play his part.

"Yes we do, yeah." He reached into his pocket and pulled the small tape-recorder out. He flicked a little switch, and a voice said, _'But the beatings were for your own good! They helped you learn what's right from wrong. It's-' _He flicked the switch again.

"You know as well as we do that what you did to Yume was illegal. And we have it on tape, yeah." He watched their smiles falter, "So if you don't want it getting out. Ever, yeah. You'll sign a contract saying every penny that Yume ever earns will be hers to keep. Understood? Also, you renounce all claims of being Yume's parents. I think it's agreed that she is better off without you."

The two adults looked at each other for a moment, then sighed, realising it wasn't worth it. What use was money when you were in jail anyway? The woman said,

"Fine. But what's happened here goes no further than this room."

She didn't notice Hidan's jaw clench and his fists tighten when he saw how quick they were to just stop being Yume's parents.

"Of course." said Sasori, nodding. He pulled out a piece of parchment and handed it to the two adults. As they went to sign it, Deidara leaned over and whispered to Sasori,

"Where did you get that contract from?"

Sasori whispered back,

"Kakuzu yesterday. I had a small hunch that they would show up sometime soon."

"How, yeah?"

"It's not hard to figure out."

"Hmm..." Deidara said in thought, his eyes flickering venomously to Yume's soon-to-be ex-parents.

Suddenly the the rest of the boys turned when they heard something snap. They looked at Itachi who was holding a broken pencil in his hands, looking at Yume's parents. He said stiffly,

"Say that again."

The woman looked up, her eyes shocked. She had not expected anyone to have heard her. Itachi said again,

"Repeat what you just said to your husband. I'm sure Hidan and Deidara would love to know." The two boys tensed. They looked over to the adults. The woman stuttered,

"I-I- I didn't-"

"Now that _is_ odd, because I thought I heard you say Yume was a stupid slut and always has been, getting guys to do the dirty work for her." Hidan and Deidara stopped moving. They stared at the woman, "Correct me if I'm wrong."

She stuttered a little more, then deciding she couldn't defend herself, took hold of her husband and pushed him in front of her as a shield. He was done for.

Deidara and Hidan moved towards the man, Sasori following behind. The man tried to run but Sasori side-stepped behind him and caught hold of his wrist. He took hold of the orange-tanned man in a vice-like hold, and then the other two boys let all of their feelings out on him. He crumpled.

The woman drew back in fear and so Itachi walked over to her. He took the signed contract from her quavering hands and put an arm across her shoulders. He gave her a smile and said,

"Do be thankful that I don't hit woman," The woman let out a sigh of relief. Itachi turned her round, "So I'm going to hand you over to our bodyguard Kisame now, who is quite happy to take out anyone, no matter what gender."

He walked away to the sounds of the woman screaming.

He left the living-room all together and headed off down the hallway in search of Amaya and Yume. He found them sitting on the floor of the downstairs bathroom, Amaya's arms wrapped around Yume's shaking body. She was in floods of tears.

Itachi walked in and shut the door, blocking out the noises from the other room, then walked over and sat down by the two girls. They both looked up at him. Yume sniffed,

"H-hello, Itachi." She said, wiping the tears from her eyes, trying to smile.

He nodded in acknowledgement.

"Hi, Yume. Amaya."

Amaya grinned.

_'He remembered my name! ...oh wait... can't go fan-girl now... have to concentrate!'_

She looked down at her friend and rubbed her shoulders.

"It's alright, they'll go soon I guess." She looked at Itachi who nodded. "Then we can- oh shit we have school!"

Yume nodded her head. She started to pull herself up off the floor, but Itachi's hand pushed her back down. He looked at Amaya,

"She's not going to school. She's too shaken, and she still has her injuries."

Yume sat quiet, not exactly liking the fact that Itachi was talking as if she wasn't in the room, but was putting up with it. There was a sudden protest from next to her.

"I'm not going to school! Fuck that shit." Amaya said, glaring. Itachi said, sighing,

"But if you're off too then the school will get suspiciou-"

"No. Not going! I'll just say I'm looking after Yume. Which I _am_."

"But we are quite capable of looking after her-"

"Fuck that too!" She wrapped her arms tighter around Yume, glaring off into the distance. She smiled suddenly, looking back at Itachi, "I can trust you to look after her of course but-" Her eyes turned steely, "-Hidan and Deidara will die if they come anywhere near to her." And then she added quickly with another smile, "Oh, but I do still love Akatsuki! Hidan and Deidara are awesome-" Then she glared again, "But still..."

Itachi stopped himself from backing away. Amaya was _strange_ to say the least. Instead he turned his attention to Yume,

"Will you be okay with Amaya then?"

"Y-yes, of course."

"And what about... this situation? Do you think you'll be okay about it?"

Yume nodded her head slowly, totally unconvincingly. Itachi sighed again, then pulled something from his pocket. He held it out to Yume. Amaya gasped. She started shaking Yume, as if trying to grab her attention.

"Th-that-...that's-"

Itachi gave a small smile,

"It's our next album. Ten brand new songs, and the CD's signed by all of us." He put it into Yume's hands, "Do you think that will make you feel any better?"

Yume looked down at the CD-case in her hand for a second, then she suddenly jumped forward and tackled Itachi to the floor; tears still pouring down her face but a genuine smile on her lips,

"Yes! Of course it will!"

He gave another small smile and patted her head. Amaya watched with her mouth agape. When Yume had gotten off Itachi, he sat himself up and tried to sort out his hair. Amaya looked at him and said, now suddenly shy,

"H-hey Itachi?" He looked at her, "You wouldn't happen to have another one of those... would you?"

He shook his head. Amaya pouted. Itachi saw her face and said, trying to keep her happy – Itachi was not having a good time at the moment,

"Well, I could always get you one. How's that?"

He looked at Amaya and saw she had stopped dead. He looked puzzled, and went to check if she was alright, but heard Yume say from next to him,

"Don't-"

But it was too late. Amaya screamed, letting out some kind of a battle-cry, then pounced on Itachi, much like Yume had done, but she tackled him to the floor and then began planting kisses all over him.

"Itachi Uchiha **you **_**are**_ **awesome**!" She wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug and then before she could go any further Yume took hold of her friend's shirt and pulled her off of Itachi, laughing.

The male lay on the floor, stunned. Yume turned to Amaya and said,

"I _think_ you've killed him."

The raven-hair girl scratched the back of her head, laughing.

"Woopsie..."

The two girls suddenly looked to the door, hearing noises. Shouts. They ran for the door, but when Amaya reached it before Yume, she turned round and stopped.

"Yume. Stay!"

Yume glared. This was no time to be messing around.

"Amaya, no. I'm coming with you." She said sternly. Amaya shook her head, her smile faltering slightly,

"Just keep Itachi company."

"But-"

"Don't." And with that, Amaya rubbed her friend's shoulder, turned and walked away, closing the door behind her. Yume went to open the door but then her brain kicked in.

_**'Stupid! Why the hell do you want to go out and see them?'**_

_'I-I don't.'_

_**'You can't hide anything from me dear, you ****are**** me.'**_

_'Fine then! I don't know! I just do!'_

_**'Yeah! And then you can beat the stuffing out of them, like they did to you!...Oops..'**_

_'Yeah, great time to bring that up.'_

_**'But it's true. They deserve everything those boys are giving to them!'**_

Yume shook her head, trying to ignore her brain's rantings. She turned from the door and walked over to Itachi – who had snapped himself out of shock and was now sat up against the radiator. Yume walked over and sat down by him. She was hesitant at first, but then after feeling tears start to brim up in her eyes again she leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. He looked down at her, an emotionless mask on his face, but then wrapped his arm around her shoulders, feeling her start to shake as she cried. He tilted his head to rest on top of hers, holding her a little tighter. He hoped everything would blow over soon.

Yume lay against him, hopelessly attempting to stop the tear-flow. Amidst her emotions she was a little shocked with herself for her own actions – never once having made contact with a male from her own free will before... _ever_, but here she was with her head on the shoulder of Itachi Uchiha, the guitarist from Akatsuki. It may not seem like a big thing to you, but for Yume it _was_. Her parents had never approved of boys, and had literally beaten it out of her.

The two stayed like that for a long while, until Yume picked up the shiny CD-case and asked Itachi, wiping at her eyes,

"S-so, which song d-do you think is the best?"

He smiled at her, realising she was trying to distract herself,

"Well..."

oOo

When Amaya had left the bathroom, she had walked into the Akatsuki boys, finding them at the front door.

She raised her hands into the air and clapped, ready to rumble.

"Okay! Where are they 'cause I'm gonna' kick the dick off that prick and shove it up that bitch-"

Tobi put his hands over Amaya's mouth, squirming,

"Amaya shouldn't swear! It makes Tobi's ears _bleed!_"

Amaya yelled – although muffled by Tobi's hands,

"But I practised that! I got it to rhyme and everything!"

Hidan and Kisame laughed. The silver haired male walked over to Amaya (and Tobi) and patted her on the shoulder.

"Too late, we just got rid of the mother fuckers." He looked at the front door, his eyebrows furrowing, "They won't be coming back, we made sure of that."

Amaya's eyes grew to the size of frying-pans. She wrenched Tobi's hands from her mouth and asked,

"What happened?"

Kisame chuckled,

"Nothing much."

"But-" Sasori added, pulling out the signed contract, "Those two that just left are no longer Yume's parents."

Amaya nearly choked.

"E-excuse me?"

Sasori held the contract out to her. She took it and read down. When she had finished she looked back up and said, her face seriously concerned, "Don't you think you should have asked Yume?"

Sasori frowned,

"Why would she not want them out of her lives?"

Amaya shrugged, trying to explain,

"Well... Yume's... well she's not really one to hold grudges against _anyone_ and just _fails_ at hating people. I mean seriously, it's ridiculous!"

Deidara laughed,

"So you mean she's _nice_, yeah?"

"Yeah! Exactly- oh wait." Amaya laughed, "Shud'dup fool!"

Deidara laughed. Amaya looked round at the males then said,

"So... they're not Yume's parents any more, hey?"

Sasori nodded. Amaya smiled suddenly.

"Okay then..."

She quickly ran off up the staircase. The males heard a lot of bangs, crashes, and a moment of insanely-mad laughter, then they saw Amaya running back down the stairs in her ninja spy-outfit, wielding a large base-ball bat.

She ran up to the guys and said,

"I'll be right back!" Then she ran to the door, opened it and ran out, a mad glint in her eyes. The guys looked at each other, scared. Kisame ran into the front room and looked out of the window. He saw Amaya running past the house. She was screaming and thrashing the base-ball bat around above her head. He had to squash himself against the window to see down the end of the street, but he could see Yume's ex-parents hobbling away as fast as possible.

He pulled himself away from the window and fell on the floor, laughing so hard his ribs were hurting. Deidara and the others decided to see what was going on and looked out of the window as well. Even Sasori chuckled.

A few minutes later Amaya staggered back into the house, panting. She closed the door behind her and collapsed. The boys walked back into the hall to see if she was okay. She looked up at them and lifted herself up with the – now dented – base-ball bat.

"Phew! For a woman in heels and a limp, she could run _fast_."

Kisame walked over and patted Amaya on the back.

"Yeah, we _are_ going to be great friends!"

Amaya grinned. She straightened up and cracked her knuckles.

"Phew... that needed to happen!"

Suddenly, Amaya pulled out a small notepad from inside her Lycra spy costume and flipped it open, then she pulled out a pen and scribbled something out.

Tobi crept round and looked over her shoulder to see what she was writing out. His face paled. Deidara asked Amaya, noticing Tobi's reaction,

"So...what is that, yeah?"

Amaya grinned,

"It's my 'what I have to do before I die' book!"

"Oh right. So what else is in there-"

"No, Deidara! Don't ask!" Tobi yelled, diving over the top of Amaya. He curled himself up into a ball on the floor and repeated over and over, "The horror...the horror..."

Amaya giggled and stuffed the notepad back into her pocket. She just laughed at Tobi some more, then walked off into the living-room, stopped, walked back out again and said to the guys, her hands on her hips,

"And shouldn't you be gone by now? School started ages ago."

Hidan and Kisame smirked.

"Well these guys might, but we have a free period first," Said Kisame.

Sasori tapped the blue-skinned man on the shoulder.

"You're supposed to stay with us...being the bodyguard and all."

Kisame looked at Sasori and his mouth dropped.

"Bu-bu-bu-buutttt!" He pointed at Amaya, "But I want to stay with her!" He said eagerly. Hidan walked up behind him and smacked him upside the head.

"Get a hold of yourself! What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Kisame shook himself a little, then straightened up.

"Yeah...my bad." then he walked off down the corridor.

Hidan smirked,

"See, Kisame knows we're in charge. What we say goes."

-(Down the hallway)-

"Pleaasseeee, Itachi!" Kisame said on his hands and knees, "You can look after yourselves for an hour! Please! I just want to stay for a little while longer!"

Itachi face-palmed, whereas Yume – who had been watching the incident from by the bathtub – was laughing so hard that she had collapsed on the floor, because Kisame, the _bodyguard,_ was grovelling to Itachi. He was actually on his hands and knees, begging like a little child.

Yume eventually pulled herself up off the floor and crawled across to the door. She opened it and walked out, still laughing, only to bump into Amaya.

"Oh... hi Amaya." She said, stumbling a little.

"Hi!" The raven-haired girl said, turning round with a smile. Three other voices called,

"Hi, Yume!" One voice was Tobi's...so that didn't count, but the other two were from Deidara and Hidan. Amaya darted her head round and gave them 'the glare'. They looked at her, worried, then took a few steps back.

Amaya nodded her head, then turned back to Yume and helped her up.

"These guys were just going." She said, pointing at the boys over her shoulder. Yume nodded, waving them goodbye. Deidara smiled,

"Don't think you're getting off with just a wave, yeah."

Before even Amaya had time to react, he ran over to Yume a gave her a tight hug, swinging her around slightly. As she was in the air, Deidara leaned in and whispered; so quietly that only she could hear him,

"We'll always look after you, Yume, don't worry, yeah."

She let out a laugh, covering up the deep admiration she felt for Deidara right then, then he let her go, dropping her back to the floor, where she swayed a little – not realising she'd almost been suffocated by his hug. Everyone turned to leave, then Tobi magically appeared behind Yume and picked her up. He ran for the door and even made it outside, until he felt a hand on his shirt, stopping him from moving. He looked over his shoulder innocently to see Amaya glaring daggers at him.

"And where do you think you're going with _that_?"

Yume interjected,

"Oh thanks, Amaya. I'm a '_that_' now?"

"Tobi wasn't... uhh... Tobi didn't take anything."

A couple of the boys face-palmed in the doorway as Tobi tried to hide Yume in his coat. Yume on the other hand was trying to get her feet on the floor – seeing as their height difference was about a foot.

Amaya tugged Tobi back towards the house so he suddenly let go of Yume and pushed her, calling,

"Run free! Run free little one!"

Yume stared at him for a second, then laughed and followed them back inside the house, only to hear Tobi yelling, "No Yume! Run _free!_ Run away from the crazy-lady!"

Amaya handed Tobi's shirt collar to Deidara, who took it and dragged Tobi back outside the house, now followed by the other band members. Sasori, realising there were still two people missing, walked down the corridor and into the bathroom. He re-appeared with Itachi and a whining Kisame. The blue-skinned man was still saying,

"Please Itachi! I want to stay!"

When they reached the front door, Itachi turned round and stood in front of Kisame.

"Fine. But be back by morning break."

Kisame stood to attention.

"Yes sir!" Then he ran over to Amaya and jumped up and down. Amaya jumped up and down as well.

"Yeah! This is gonna' be awesome!"

"Hell yeah!"

"Oh no..." Said Yume, sweat-dropping. Itachi patted her on the shoulder.

"It's only for an hour at most, and you could always go and lie down, and _**rest**_."

Yume smiled, looking over to her best friend,

"No thanks, I guess it'll be funny to watch what happens."

Itachi nodded, gave her one last reassuring smile then left, closing the door behind him. A moment later and there were noises. Yume opened the front door to see Hidan and Deidara scrapping on the top step.

"Umm...what are you two doing?"

They both looked up at her, then Hidan suddenly dashed in the door and stood behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on top of hers.

"I'm going to stay here with you for a hour, seeing as how I have a free period and I don't want to spend it _all alone_."

Deidara picked himself up and said, heading for the door,

"Oh no you're not-"

But with one swift kick, Hidan closed the door in Deidara's face. He laughed, hearing the victory 'ooft' from the other side of the door.

Yume went to open the door again but Hidan lifted her up, put her feet on top of his and then walked her into the living room, where Kisame and Amaya had already pulled out a game of monopoly.

Amaya looked up and her face dropped, seeing the position her friend was in,

"Hidan...!"

"What?" He answered back, holding on to Yume more, just to get Amaya more worked up. Amaya rose to her feet, a small metal dog in her hand, and started to walk over to the silver-haired male. Yume realised there was going to be a fight so she tried to pull away, but Hidan still had his arms wrapped securely around her waist, so she could only kick her legs about instead. She also waved her hands out in front of her and said to the advancing Amaya,

"Hey Amaya! It's okay! Seriously, I don't mind. Seriously!... AMAYA!"

Amaya had picked up the base-ball bat from before and was heading back towards Hidan when she stopped to look at Yume.

"But Yume-"

"It's okay, I don't mind at all! Please... just put the bat down."

Amaya shrugged,

"Whatever." And with that she tossed the bat aside. She walked over to Hidan and wrenched her friend from his arms, then carried her over to a seat and put her down. Then she turned back to Hidan with her usual smile and said,

"So do you want to play?"

"Play what...?" He said, wondering about the many scary games that Amaya could be think about. She slapped her hand to her head and pointed to board on the floor.

"Monopoly, idiot."

Hidan smirked.

"Yeah sure. But I warn you, I'm a master... you have to be when you have a money-whore for a room-mate."

Amaya looked at him, not understanding what he meant. Yume on the other hand knew exactly who he was talking about.

"Oh!" She said, suddenly remembering about her deal. She quickly ran out of the room and headed up the stairs. The other three looked at each other, wondering where she'd gone. Yume ran across the landing and into her poster-filled room. She hopped over to her bed and bent down, searching for something. She soon found it and pulled out her red piggy bank. She still needed to pay Kakuzu the money to stop him from telling Hidan that she'd read his diary earlier. She opened the piggy bank out onto her bed and pulled out a lot of change, and then a ten pound note.

_'Okay...sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen...oh! Twenty.'_

Yume picked up all the change and put it in her pocket with the ten pound note. She put the rest of the money back in the piggy bank and then hid it back under the bed – behind the 'how to do trigonometry' book; something Amaya would never touch with a ten foot pole. Yes, although Yume and Amaya were best friends, Yume still didn't trust Amaya not to steal off with her money to go and buy alcohol.

Yume stood up and turned to walk out the door when something grabbed her attention. She turned her head to see a neatly-wrapped box lying on the desk next to her bed. She walked over to it curiously and picked it up. She gave it a light shake but couldn't tell what it was, so she tucked it under her arm and walked back out of her room.

The others were dealing out the money for monopoly – well... they were throwing it at each other – when Yume reappeared with the real money in her hands. She walked up to Hidan and gave it to him.

"It's for Kakuzu." She said.

Hidan raised his eyebrow,

"When the fuck did you meet Kakuzu?"

"Oh," Yume said with a blush, "I went exploring when you guys were at lessons and bumped into him."

"Ha, and you already owe him money?" Hidan said, laughing. Yume laughed nervously, hoping to dear god Kakuzu would keep to his end of the bargain.

After Hidan had stuffed the money into his black jacket, Yume sat down on the floor next to Amaya, and as the raven-haired girl was rolling the dice to start, she pulled out the box again and gently took hold of the wrapping paper and undid it. Amaya dropped the dice then turned to look at Yume. She asked curiously,

"What's that?"

Yume shrugged, "Dunno. It was in my bedroom."

Amaya's mouth gawked,

"Stop girl! Pass it here."

Yume raised her eyebrows. She slowly stretched out her arms to give Amaya the box, wondering what was going on. Amaya took it from her and gave it a harder shake. Yume asked while picking up the dice,

"So... what?"

Amaya pursed her lips. She looked at the box, then at Yume, then to Kisame. He was looking at the present as well. He looked back at her and then they both suddenly nodded to each other. Kisame stood up and dragged Hidan behind him, then, as Amaya was opening the package, he dragged Yume behind him as well. They both looked at Kisame with puzzled faces. Yume asked, laughing,

"Amaya, what are you doing?"

Amaya took back the first bit of the wrapping paper, then put it on the ground. She watched it, waiting for something to happen, then when it didn't, she picked it up again and ripped the paper off a little more. As she was doing this, she replied,

"It could be a bomb. Sasuke was in here last night, wasn't he?"

Hidan nodded his head, whereas Yume tilted her head to one side.

"He was?"

Hidan slapped his forehead.

"Blondie, where were you last night?"

"Locked in a pantry, thank you very much!"

"What the fuck-..." Hidan laughed, remembering, "Oh yeah."

Yume sighed, then looked back at Amaya, who had stopped moving. Her eyes were glaring. She was looking down at whatever was in the wrapping-paper.

"What is it?" Asked Yume.

Amaya growled. "It's worse than bomb, it's-" She picked it up and showed it to the others. Yume gasped in amazement. "- A valentine's gift."

"That- that's..so..." Yume's eyes glinted, "Gorgeous!"

Hidan yelled, "IT'S A FUCKING WHAT?"

Yume ran from behind Kisame and over to Amaya. She took the present from her friend, then almost dropped it, not realizing how heavy it was until after, then studied it very closely.

She was holding what seemed to be a solid gold heart with the edge encrusted with little shimmering diamonds. It was just the right size to fit into her cupped hands. She turned it over, and on the other side of the heart it had a message engraved into it.

'Happy Valentines

Yume

Love from Deidara'

Yume's cheeks flushed pink when she'd read who it was from. She held it close to her and giggled nervously, not really knowing what to do. This was one of the only valentines gifts she had ever been given – little did she know that that was because Amaya had been taking them and destroying them before she had even gotten close to the large stacks of cards and presents each year. What was more strange, was that this present was from a famous person, let alone someone from Akatsuki. In fact, she had gotten two from famous people... two from Akatsuki. It hit her like a ton of bricks.

Hidan _**and**_ Deidara liked her.

To start off with, she hadn't had a boyfriend in... well she couldn't even remember if she'd ever had a boyfriend. Then there was the fact that two guys liked her out of the blue. And _then _the fact that they were famous, so it would be in the papers if she ever did decide to say yes to one of them- not that they'd even asked her out yet but still. Then there was the whole-

Amaya smacked her friend across the face. Yume fell backwards. She looked up and asked, rubbing her head,

"What?"

Amaya laughed. "I said who's it from? Because-" She cracked her knuckles "If it's from some randomer who was here last night they're going to feel _**pain**_!"

Yume shook her hands, having rested the heart on the floor next to her.

"It's not, don't worry."

"Oh?" Amaya said, looking at her friend with a curious expression, "Who's it off then?"

She quickly crawled over and tried to snatch up the present, but Yume picked it up and hid it with her hands, sticking out her tongue.

Since Yume was still wearing the dress from last night, all Amaya had to do was pull at her tights. Yume moved her hands instinctively to stop Amaya dropping her tights down, and in that second, Amaya reached up and grabbed the heart. She looked it over, her eyes sparkling. When she flipped it over she nearly had a heart attack.

"D-Deidara?"

There was another, "FUCKING WHAT?" from across the room. Amaya turned to Hidan and smirked evilly. "Hate to tell you this bud, but Deidara's present beats yours into the floor."

Yume saw Hidan's face drop so she said hastily,

"No Hidan, I really love your present! It's really pretty!"

Hidan smirked again, noticing not for the first time that his gift was still hanging around her neck,

"Thanks, Blondie."

As he turned to talk to Kisame, Amaya nudged her in the ribs,

"Ha-ha, good save," She said in a hushed tone, "but don't get his hopes up if you don't want to date him."

Yume's eyes widened.

"S-say what?"

Amaya laughed a wagged her finger in front of her nose.

"I know you, Yume. We've been in love with Akatsuki for... forever!" She said, throwing her hands up, "And in the end you're going to end up with one of them." She finished with a wink.

Yume stuttered.

"B-bu-but-"

"Okay party people! Let's play!" Amaya said, turning back to the board, "Who's banker?"

Yume put her hand in the air, but Amaya didn't even need to look. She took hold of her friend's hand and lowered it. She rested it on her knee and said, somewhat mockingly,

"No not you dear. We need someone **good** at maths."

Yume laughed at her friend, "Hey!"

Amaya looked over at Kisame.

"You any good at maths?"

Kisame shook his head, chuckling to himself, then he pointed at Hidan. Amaya burst out laughing.

"Haha, good joke! Phew, you had me going there for a second." She fell over laughing. Hidan jumped up, shouting,

"Hey! I am good at maths!"

Amaya sat up, wiping a tear from her eye,

"Oh yeah, of course you are Hidan." She giggled again, then handed him the money. He took it from her with a huff, then looked up and asked,

"Who's go is it?"

-(15 minutes later)-

"Fuck off whore! I'm not paying you because I walked too close to your precious Pennsylvania avenue! I have to land on it or nothing!"

"No! That's not right! Your ugly face made people on that road crash their cars! THEY NEED COMPENSATION!"

"Fuck you!"

Kisame and Yume had to dive out of the way to dodge low-flying hotels and chance-cards.

"Pay me bitch!"

"Fuck no, hoe!"

Suddenly Amaya dived for the pile of bank money. Hidan dived on top of her.

"Oh so you're a bank-robber now, hey?"

"Yeah! And you're an albino who can't sing!"

There was a shocked gasp from Yume and Kisame.

Hidan suddenly stopped trying to attack Amaya and stood up wordlessly. Yume whispered to Amaya,

"Too far."

Amaya's eyes widened. She decided to do one thing she was very good at. Grovelling.

"Hidan, I'm sorr~y! Please! I didn't mean it! C'mon it was a heat of the moment thing!"

Hidan turned to her with a snarl on his face.

"I can't sing hey?"

Amaya raised her hands in defense.

"Pah, of course you can! You wouldn't be in Akatsuki if you couldn't!... I said an albino who can't...ring? Yeah! You know!... because you don't have...a phone?" She said, laughing at her 'quick-thinking'.

Hidan stared at her for a moment, then he just smirked and gave her a shove.

"Fine. If you come up with something like that shit, you must be sorry-"

"Ha! My plan worked!" Yelled Amaya, until Hidan stared at her, so she just started to whistle innocently.

"What...?" He said. It was then that he saw the large amount of monopoly money in her hands.

"Bitch!"

-(Another 10 minutes later)-

Yume had just finished stapling down the lid to the monopoly game when she heard a yell. She looked up to see Hidan being backed into a corner by Kisame and Amaya. She laughed, shaking her head,

"What are you guys doing now?"

"Yume! Help! They're fucking crazy! They want to-"

Kisame pounced on Hidan, tackling him to the floor. Amaya turned round and said, a happy smile on her face.

"We're giving him a make-over~!" She snickered, "It's revenge for the monopoly game."

Yume laughed. She had to see this. She walked over and sat on the sofa, leaning over to see Kisame sat on top of Hidan's stomach, while Amaya bent down and took out her make-up bag. The first thing she pulled out was a tube of bright red lipstick. Hidan saw it and nearly flipped.

"Kisame get the fuck off me you crazy prick!- Bitch! Keep that crazy tube away from the face!"

Amaya giggled insanely then took Hidan's face in her hand and started to put it on him.

People outside in the street could hear the screaming.

-(About 20 minutes later)-

"You can't fuckin' make me take a step out of this mother fucking house!" Yelled Hidan – now dressed in a frilly pink dress; his hair up in lot of messy little pig-tails and his face caked under a thick layer of make-up that just didn't sit well on his face.

"Well it's your own fucking fault for not sitting still when I was putting it on! You should have stayed put!"

Hidan launched himself at Amaya, but Kisame stuck out his arm, stopping Hidan when he slammed straight into it. Kisame gave a smirk,

"Come on, Hidan-_chan_. We'd better get to school or we'll be late for next lesson."

Hidan glared at him, but nearly yelled when Kisame simply lifted him up and put him over his shoulder. He started to hammer his fists on Kisame's back as hard as possible.

"Get-off-me-you-son-of-a-mother-fucking-bitch!"

Just then Yume walked out into the hallway. This was the first time she'd seen Amaya's 'masterpiece' totally finished. She creased over in laughter. Hidan's mouth dropped open in shock.

"Yume! I thought you were on my side?"

"Haha," She said, wiping the tears from her eyes, "You- you look lovely, Hidan."

Amaya grinned.

"Too right he does." And then without warning, she suddenly produced a camera from her pocket and snapped a picture of Hidan, much to his protest.

"Bitch! Delete that picture or so help me I'm going to lock you in a room with Tobi for a month!"

Amaya grinned,

"Na-ah, Hidan. This is going on the internet A.S.A.P!- and don't don't swear, it's unladylike." She added with an evil laugh.

"Ha! You can't talk!" He yelled back. A little vein popped out on Amaya's forehead.

"What did you just say?" And with that she ran back into the living-room, trying to find something.

Yume suddenly intervened. She ran over to Kisame and said,

"Run! Run like there's no tomorrow!"

He smirked,

"Why?"

"Because-" Suddenly Amaya reappeared with her oh-so-trusty baseball bat, "That."

Kisame's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He lunged for the door as Amaya charged at them. Hidan – not knowing what was going on – yelled,

"What the fuck are you doing? I can't go out like this!"

Kisame yelled to him,

"You'll think differently if you see what's charging at us!"

He quickly turned round to show Hidan, who saw the charging girl and immediately started thrashing about.

"Go go go, Kisame! Go!"

"I can't get the door open!"

Amaya was closing in. Hidan shielded his head, waiting for the impact of the baseball bat.

"For the love of Jashin, get the door open!"

There were a couple of quick clicks, then Kisame said happily,

"I got it!"

"Oh great... SO GET MOVING!"

"Oh yeah."

Kisame dived out of the open door, rolled down the staircase and landed on the path, then got up, jumped the garden fence and carried on running down the road to where a limo was now parked. He opened the door and threw Hidan in then jumped in himself.

Back at the house, the two girls were stood in the doorway, laughing at the whole scene. The limo set off, and as it drove past the house, Hidan yelled,

"See you later!" but then Kisame tackled him down as if he had been expecting Amaya to be shooting bullets at the limo.

As it turned off down at the other end of the street, the two girls walked back inside giving each other a high-five.

"That was so awesome!" Laughed Amaya. Yume nodded with a grin on her face. Once the two were back in the living-room and the laughter had died away, there was almost an eerie silence. The two girls looked to one another, not really used to having silence in the house.

Amaya suddenly clapped her hands.

"Oka~y! I don't know about you but I'm making a meringue!" And she headed off towards the kitchen. Yume jumped up and down. "Ooh! I'll help-"

"No!" Amaya said, spinning around, "Yume if you come near my kitchen-" She impersonated Achmed the dead terrorist. "-I kill you!"

Yume sighed,

"Fine fine." She walked away, then saw the golden heart and Akatsuki's new album on the floor. She picked both of them up then grinned, "Then I'll just listen to this on my own."

Amaya looked back and her mouth dropped.

"Hey! Come on woman, that's not fair!"

Yume stuck her tongue out. Amaya looked at the CD in Yume's hands. She glared at her friend. Now she had to make the decision: Make beautiful, light and fluffy meringues baked to perfection and having to listen to Yume gloating that she'd heard all the new songs before Amaya had _or_ listen to the new album with Yume and be able to gloat to everyone else about it, but have burnt piles of mush.

Amaya shrugged. She could always bake some more later.

"Okay Yume! You can help!"

"Yay!" She said, jumping around. She ran over to Amaya in the kitchen and handed over the CD, then she ran up to her bedroom, placed the golden heart down next to her bed, grabbed her CD-player and ran back to the kitchen. Amaya had already gotten all the equipment out and was currently washing her hands in the sink. Yume plugged the CD-player into the wall, flicked 'on' then put the CD in. It quickly registered the songs, and then Yume hit the play button.

The two girls jumped up and down, screaming like the crazy fans they were when they heard Hidan's voice start to sing the new, never-before heard lyrics, and the other boys coming in on their instruments.

The two girls, while dancing and trying to sing along to the songs – guessing at the lyrics – started to create the first batch of many unsuccessful meringue nets, laughing all the while.

* * *

_Yeah! Chapter 11 is up and running!_

_(Sees Deidara running at her with a straight-jacket) N'awwww! I thought I got rid of you! (runs away) SEE YOU NEXT CHAPTER GUYS! AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! PLEEAAASEEE!_

_X-Deidara's Lover-X_


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Naruto characters, or any of the songs sung by the bands. I wish I did, I really really do.

Claimer: I own Yume, Amaya, and anyone else who _isn't _in Naruto! Stay AWAY unless you get my permission to use them~!

* * *

Chapter 12

Yume chewed the inside of her cheek as she walked down the road with her best friend. It was her first day back in school after she had been attacked by Sasuke and Ino. Not only that but it was the first day she'd be seeing her friends since the party and she knew there would be questions about what had happened with her parents- sorry, ex-parents. It sounded strange jut saying it. Oh well, she'd have plenty of time to get used to it. Getting closer and closer to school, she was nervous to say the least.

Amaya walked beside the blonde with the complete opposite feelings; she was happy and raring to go. You see Amaya had had a muffin earlier that morning... and muffins do crazy things to Amaya. The raven-haired girl skipped next to her friend, saying,

"Don't look so worried, chuck! I bet no one will even remember the party, and the beat up is old news! You're good to go and-"

"Okay, okay, calm down!" Yume said with a smile, trying to fight off the feelings of anxiety. They continued down the road together, Amaya slowly losing her sugar rush. It wasn't long before they reached the school gates, where, as like last time, Yume was greeted by an unexpected crowd consisting of fans- this time including some of her friends. Unfortunately for her friends, Amaya didn't realise they were in the mix and so when she charged to get the crowd out of the way, it was Sakura and Hinata who got the worst of it because they'd pushed to the front to see if Yume was okay.

"GANG WAY YOU BUNCH OF CRAZY MOTHER-FUCKER- Sakura! Hinata! What are you doing?" It was already too late because Amaya had toppled both of them to the floor along with many of the other crazed teenagers. She was looking down at them with a puzzled look on her face; which soon turned to nervous laughter, "Uhh... sorry guys."

Sakura and Hinata picked themselves up and brushed themselves off as the crowd slowly dispatched; worried that they could get attacked at any second by the mad woman with black hair.

After everyone had left and it was only the four friends stood at the front gate, Yume walked over and asked Hinata, putting a hand on her shoulder comfortingly,

"Are you okay, Hinata?"

She gave a small nod, "Y-yes, I'm fine thank you."

Yume gave her a giddy smile, still hit with nerves, then Sakura turned to the blonde and asked cautiously,

"So Yume... are you _okay_?"

Yume turned to look at her. Her eyes flashed slightly.

"Uhh," She looked down at herself then back to Sakura, "yeah!"

Naive, naive Yume. Sakura gave out a small laugh, shaking her head.

"No I meant...- are you okay after, you know... yesterda-"

Amaya butted in and stamped on Sakura's foot.

"She's fine!" She looked at Yume and flashed her a reassuring grin, "You're great, aren't you?"

Yume laughed, her eyes creasing at the corners, "Yeah!"

As Yume and her friends turned and walked across the school grounds to their form-room, the blonde thought to herself,

_'Thank you, Amaya...'_

_**'Yeah, if Sakura had said another word she would have been beaten to death! Go Amaya!'**_

_'Yeah... Well I just hope no one else brings up what happened yesterday...' _Yume folded her arm loosely, hugging her body. She was feeling fragile.

The four friends continued walking along the paths, chatting to each other up until an ominous bell rang. They all seemed to bring out their phones to check the time at the same moment.

"We're late!" Sakura groaned, rolling her eyes in dismay. They all sped up their pace, making their way inside one of the tall building. Inside it, the four looked around; searching for hall monitors or random patrolling teachers. Luckily there were none around...that is until they turned the corner to their form-room. Just down the hallway a monitor was walking in their direction, although looking at a clip board. Amaya, being the quick thinker she was, simply grabbed hold of Yume and Hinata and threw them in a pair of open lockers, slamming the doors behind them. This only grabbed the attention of the hall monitor. As he made his way towards the two girls, Sakura leant over to Amaya and said, her face in a slight frown,

"And _why_ did you throw them in a locker and not me?"

Amaya leant closer.

"Because unlike you, those two would never live it down if they got caught by this guy," She said, pointing at the advancing hall monitor, "Bless their little-goody-two-shoes souls..."

Sakura laughed in spite of the situation. As the boy arrived, Amaya got another idea. She leant over to Sakura again and murmured,

"Okay, as soon as I pounce on him, you grab Yume and Hinata and get over to form. Kakashi won't be in yet, never is."

Sakura nodded. "Right." She turned to look at the boy then did a double take back to Amaya, "What do you mean 'as soon as you pounce on him'?"

Too late. Amaya dived on the poor, unsuspecting hall monitor and tackled him to the floor.

"Ka-_**pow**_, mother fucker!"

Amaya looked up and gave her friend the thumbs up. Sakura immediately turned on her heel and opened the two locker doors. She dragged Yume and Hinata from them and ran down the hallway towards their form-room. She flung the door open, threw her two friends inside then followed just behind them; after looking down the hallway to see Amaya shoving the hall-monitors face into the floor. Sakura closed the door and turned round to see the rest of the form staring right back at her. She ignored them and swiftly made her way to the back of the classroom with Yume and Hinata to where Temari was sat, also staring at them but trying very hard not to laugh.

As Yume took her usual seat on the back row and her two friends on the row in front, Temari giggled.

"What happened? We heard Amaya yelling something and then it went silent."

Sakura smirked, tossing her bag down and putting her feet up on the desk.

"Well basically we were late, and there was a hall monitor so-"

"Good morning class!"

Everyone looked up to see Kakashi in the doorway of the classroom, holding the register in one hand and Amaya in the other. The four girl at the back of the room burst into uncontrolled laughter. Kakashi gave a sigh, released Amaya and shook his head woefully,

"It's going to be one of those days..."

As Amaya scurried off to the back of the room, Kakashi produced a set of leaflets from the register and held them up for everyone to see.

"As some of you may remember from last week I told you about the upcoming prom. Well, now we have a set date, time, and theme for it. On this leaflet it gives you all the information you need and a couple of places that will probably help you out with outfits... that's more for the girls though."

As many of the girls in the class laughed and clapped excitedly, Kakashi handed Naruto the leaflets to hand around. He made his way round to Yume and Amaya and gave them each a sheet, then he bent forward and asked quietly under the noise of the rest of the class,

"Hey, Yume, what happened yesterday? What's up with your mum and dad?"

Yume looked at him for a moment, her voice trapped in her throat. Next to her, Amaya was glaring her ultimate death glare at Naruto. She looked over at her blonde friend and, noticing that she was having trouble keeping her happy-cap on, decided to blame it on Naruto. She rose to her feet, slamming the palms of her hands flat out on the table. Naruto, having been in this situation too many times before, knew exactly what was coming next and so he jumped away from the table and headed across the classroom. Amaya yelled at him, throwing her hand out to point angrily at him,

"You keep your big gob shut or dear god I'm going to make you feel _paiiinnnnn_!" And now, since Amaya had grabbed the attention of everyone else in the classroom, she decided to go ahead and say the inevitable threat, "And anyone else who was at that party better keep their thoughts to themselves or else...!" She cracked her knuckles threateningly.

A few of the other students in the classroom shuddered but the majority had no clue what had gone on so they just ignored the threat and continued with their conversations, figuring it was just another of Amaya's random outbursts. She had them a lot.

The bell rang.

As everyone rose to their feet and filed out of the classroom Yume leant over to Amaya and said meekly,

"Thank you."

Amaya flashed her a grin. Kakashi was at the back of the group, ticking off the names of the students on the attendance sheet, dreading the day ahead of him.

Yume, Amaya and Temari walked along the corridors, heading towards the exit of the building. Amaya walked with her hands behind her head leisurely, humming to herself. As they stood waiting to get through the only door in the building, she asked Temari,

"So what do you have now?"

"Umm..." Temari thought for a moment then replied with a groan, "Geography with Ol' Tazuna. Fun."

Amaya grinned, grabbing hold of Yume's wrist, "Well we've got art with Mister Umino!"

Temari rolled her eyes.

"Lucky you then."

"You bet!" Amaya replied with a grin. As the congestion disappeared, Amaya's grip on Yume tightened, "See you later, Temari!" Before she had time to reply, Amaya had dived through the door, dragging Yume off with her towards the art block.

oOo

Forty minutes into the lesson and Yume and Amaya were sat in their usual places together at the back of the art studio, doodling in their books and chatting away happily. Amaya suddenly threw her pencil down and picked her book up in a triumph.

"Look, Yume! The awesomeness!"

Yume looked up from her own work for a second to see Amaya's 'masterpiece'. She nearly fell off her chair for laughing. Amaya looked at her with an eyebrow raised. She looked quickly between the masterpiece and Yume.

"What?" She pouted, "Is it that bad?"

"Is _what_ that bad?" Iruka said, walking over to the pair; not something he liked to do often, but he knew he couldn't avoid Amaya _all_ the time. Yume wiped the tears from her eyes and said in between laughs,

"Nothing sir."

Iruka cocked an eyebrow.

"I'm sure..." He reached over and took Amaya's book from her, much to her protest. He flicked through the pages, then handed her the book back with a displeased expression on his face, "Amaya, we're supposed to be doing organic form, not drawing images of your new love interest."

Amaya backhanded with:

"But sir! You've got to admit, he's not man-made!" She went off in a dreamy daze, "He's the gift of an angel..."

Iruka looked at Amaya, then to Yume, who shrugged. He turned back to Amaya,

"I'm sure, but maybe you could try to draw him with a few more clothes on next time?"

He walked away before he could hear the reply. Good thing too. Amaya turned to look back at Yume - who had finally managed to stop laughing. She leant over and checked Yume's art-book.

"Aww! Look at it!" She said, pointing at the chibi Deidara holding a microphone. Just then there was a call from the front.

"Amaya, if you don't be quiet I'll put you in detention."

She slowly turned her head to Iruka, a demonic expression on her face.

oOo

By the end of the lesson Amaya had managed to escape a detention – just. Now she was sitting in English with Yume, listening to Jiraiya dictate 'Great Expectations' by Charles Dickens. They had been sat in the stiflingly hot room for roughly twenty minutes, listening to the droning teacher, who, by the looks of things, was also beginning to tire of the story. Unfortunately for the class, that was _never _a good thing.

Jiraiya suddenly slammed the book down onto his desk.

"Okay, raise your hands if you want a change of story?"

Nobody raised their hand.

"Great! I know just the story!"

Everyone sank into their seats and some, those who came prepared for their English lessons, dived into their bags to retrieve earplugs. As everyone expected Jiraiya suddenly produced his own book, 'Make-out tactics'.

By the time he'd gotten to the end of the first chapter everyone had paled and some had run out of the classroom in shock. Amaya leaned across to Yume and said,

"I'm sneaking back tonight and burning that book!" Something told Yume that wasn't a joke.

oOo

The last lesson before lunch was Physical Education with Kakashi. Usually everything in this lesson ran smoothly - unless they had to play volley-ball _again_ - and today should have been no exception, had it not been for just one thing...

"You again?" Amaya yelled, pointing her finger across the girls' locker room. The girl who had just walked through the door was looking back at Amaya with the same dumbfounded look on her face.

"You? No way! I am _not_ staying in a class with you-" The girl replied furiously, pulling her bag from her shoulder as some sort of defence.

"Fine by me, bitch! Get the hell out of here!"

"Hey, my name's not bitch, it's Kimiko! **Remember it**!"

Yume looked at the pair of girls staring at each other with venomous eyes and sighed, deciding best not to ask how Amaya had managed to make _another_ enemy.

Amaya stood with her hands clenched, a PE sock in one hand.

"Bitch! Keep _awaaaaay!_"

_(flashback)_

"_Where the fuck is she?"_

"_I'm not telling you." Sasuke said with a bloody mouth, a black eye and a couple of teeth missing. Amaya raised her fist to punch him again so Sasuke said quickly, "Akatsuki took her away!"_

"_And where can I find them? And don't try telling me that you don't know, because I know Itachi is your brother!"_

"_Konoha private academy..."_

"_Good." And with that, Amaya punched Sasuke's lights out._

_Amaya let go of him and got up, only to be pushed back down by another girl. She had black hair and one hell of a temper. She slapped Amaya and cried,_

_"How dare you hurt my Sasuke-kun! You will pay for what you've done!"_

_The girl dived on Amaya, and the two began to scream and attack each other violently. A few of the teachers had gathered around, deciding it was best not to get involved, because it __**was**__ Amaya who was fighting.'_

(Flashback end)

That same girl from that fight was now standing opposite Amaya, and by the looks of things, she also had some unfinished business.

Just then Kakashi walked into the locker room – earning him a lot of screams from half changed teenage girls, and one water bottle to the head. He covered his eyes with his hand and announced,

"Uhh sorry about that. I hope you will all be pleased to know today is dodge ball practice!" And with that said he left the room _very_ quickly. Some of the girls started to complain between themselves with the thought of throwing balls at each other. Amaya on the other hand smirked and said darkly to no-one in particular,

"Perfect..."

Yume backed away slowly.

oOo

The room was deadly silent. Amaya stood on one side of the room. Kimiko on the other. Their eyes were locked together, neither one blinking. No one dared move just in case it unleashed a monster from hell. Everyone knew Amaya was a force not to be reckoned with, but this new girl... she didn't seem phased by Amaya at all. Everyone knew that this dodge ball match was going to be the battle of _**all **_battles. It seemed as though everyone else in the room was completely invisible to them. The tension between the two was high, and everyone else knew not to get in their way.

Just then Kakashi blew the starting whistle.

Both girls let out a battle cry and charged, their teams following behind them as if charging to war. They both managed to pick up a ball before they got hit and flash-stepped backwards into the cover of their team-mates. Amaya's eyes stayed locked with the girl on the other side of the room. Even so, she managed to dodge a ball that came flying from Neji's hand. It went straight over her head and into Naruto's face.

"Aahh! AHH! MAN DOWN! CALL AN AMBULANCE! I'M HIT! BELIEVE IT!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes,

"Yeah yeah, Naruto, we believe it, now get over to the benches and sit down."

Naruto scampered off, holding his face in his hands. Shikamaru made his way over to Yume and tapped her on the shoulder as she caught a ball in her hands. She jumped up and down, exclaiming happily,

"You're out, Temari!"

"Damn you!"

As Temari walked off, Yume turned to Shikamaru,

"Yes?"

"Well-" Shikamaru lunged forward and shoved his hand onto Yume's head so that she ducked. A ball went soaring over the top of her. They stood up again, so he continued, "Don't you think you should calm Amaya down?"

"What do you mean?"

Shikamaru turned and pointed at the raven-haired girl. As if on cue she grabbed hold of Lee and put him in front of her as a shield. A ball hit him in the groin. He keeled over on the spot and lay there, unmoving. Amaya on the other hand was laughing dramatically.

"Mwuhaha! Is that all you've got, Kimiko? I should have known you can't throw a ball from the way you threw a punch!" And then she threw her own ball. It soared across the room but Kimiko managed to dive out of the way just in time, so it hit the wall and rebounded into Hinata. Amaya took a step back, her hand scratching the back of her head.

"Oh crap.. my bad, Hinata!"

"I-it's okay, Amaya." Then she scurried off.

Yume turned back to Shikamaru.

"She'll be fine! Don't worry about it!"

Just then someone yelled,

"Duck!"

Yume turned just to have a ball connect with her right cheek. Hard. She staggered back slightly, then fell over.

"Ouch.." She laughed it off. Shikamaru gave her a hand up then she walked off to the benches.

It turned out that Kimiko had been the one that had hit her because now Amaya was pelting balls at her with as much force as she could muster.

–

It had been thirty long minutes since the beginning of the game, and now there were only three left standing. Amaya, Kimiko, and Sakura. Kimiko and Sakura on one side, Amaya on the other.

Sakura was the first to throw a ball but Amaya dodged under it and threw her own. It hit her in the shoulder. Sakura scowled and stuck her finger up. There was a call from the side.

"Sakura, detention at lunch."

She sighed. "Damn it, Amaya!"

Amaya wasn't paying too much attention so she replied,

"Sucks to be you, chuck!" She kept her eyes on Kimiko the whole time.

The ball that Sakura had thrown rolled to a stop by Amaya's feet. She had one ball. Kimiko had three. The odds weren't in her favour, but there was still a chance...- Amaya lunged to the floor and picked up the ball. Just as she rose to her feet her friends called,

"Jump!"

She did just in time to have a ball fly across the ground below her. She looked up and saw Kimiko grabbing for another ball. She threw her own. It flew across the room and just skimmed the top of the girl's head.

"Damn it..." She whispered. Her friends called from the side of the room,

"Good try!"

"You'll get her next time!"

Kimiko was on her feet now, and Amaya knew there was a ball several feet behind her. All she had to do was grab it. It wouldn't be that hard... hopefully. Just then Kimiko threw another ball at an alarmingly high speed. It was flying straight towards her so Amaya did the only thing she could think of. The matrix - or at least, an _attempt_ at the matrix. She leaned backwards but then lost her footing and fell down on her back with a crash. Either way, the plan worked because the ball missed her completely.

Yume was sat next to a boy with shaggy brown hair on the benches, watching as Amaya got back onto her feet. She was trying very hard not to laugh. The look of concentration on her friend's face was amazing. Yume thought back to what Amaya had said in the changing-rooms; Amaya telling her the story about the fight that had happened between the two on the field. This rematch obviously meant a lot to her.

Just then there was a group of gasps. Yume looked up to see Kimiko looking shocked. Yume leaned over to the brown haired boy next to her and whispered,

"Hey... what just happened?"

He whispered back,

"Kimiko just got hit on the head."

"Oh, thanks."

The boy smiled, suddenly taking more interest in Yume than the game.

"No problem. Hey, aren't you that girl who sang with Akatsuki? The name's Kiba by the way."

Yume looked away from him and said quietly, a small blush spreading over her cheeks,

"Yeah, that's me..."

His face seemed to light up but just as he was about to say something, Kakashi announced loudly,

"Amaya's team wins!"

There was an eruption of applause and chanting from Amaya's side of the room. The other side however, broke out into yelling – directed at Kakashi.

"Sir, that's no fair! It was a head shot!"

"She's new in this class! Give her a break!"

Kakashi turned to them and said with a fake smile.

"If you don't stop complaining, I'll put you all in detention with Sakura."

No one spoke after that. Kakashi told everyone to hit the shower, so Yume rose to her feet and ran over to her friend as fast as possible, not feeling up to answering any other questions Kiba had in store for her.

Back in the girls' locker room, Yume, Amaya and the rest were getting changed back into their normal uniform. Amaya was on one side of the room, and Kimiko was purposefully put on the opposite side; as far away from Amaya as possible. There was bitching coming from both sides of the room, but unfortunately for Yume she got to deal with Amaya's.

"Did you see me? I trounced her into the ground!"

"Yeah, I saw you! Well done!"

Amaya smirked, "She'll know not to mess with me again!"

Yume rolled her eyes. Amaya was lovely... most of the time, but she always had her evil ways.

The pair finished getting changed, and then when the bell rang, they left for lunch.

They walked along the corridor together towards the dining hall. Yume held her purse, whereas Amaya held her handmade packed lunch. Inside the box there was an extravagant meal that Amaya had decided to make, because she said, and quote,

"The food in that place tastes like shit."

Yume decided to ignore her friend's protests of how she was going to get food poisoning and got into the queue for lunch. Amaya stood next to her in the line, so Yume said,

"Can you grab a table?"

"Yeah, sure." And with that, Amaya walked off into the room, looking for a place to sit. Little did Amaya know that that was a very bad idea because it left Yume on her own.

A figure walked down the corridors of the school, looking in every classroom, trying to find the target. Although they walked past many students, no one seemed to notice the tall figure walking by them looking very suspicious. It was just as the figure turned into the maths corridor that they overheard a conversation.

"I'll see you later, Temari! I'm going to go see Amaya and Yume."

"Where are they at?"

"Dining hall."

"Alright, see you later- HEY!"

The figure had just run past them at high speed, heading towards where they thought the dining room was – judging from the flow of students.

The figure reached the dining hall and looked inside. There. Yume was stood in the queue all alone. This was too easy. The figure made their advance into the room, coming up slowly behind Yume. She didn't realise anyone was there until...

"Hey Yume! Sorry about this, you've got a band rehearsal so I've got to kidnap you now!"

Yume turned round to have Akatsuki's bodyguard, Kisame, grab hold of her and throw her over his shoulder. She let out a small scream. This wasn't because she was scared, but more the fact that most of the room was looking at them now. She bent backwards and whispered hurriedly in Kisame's ear,

"Couldn't you have waited? I haven't eaten yet! And put me down _please_!"

Kisame chuckled,

"Nah, I have orders. Anyway, let's go."

And with that, Kisame proceeded to walk out of the room with Yume still over his shoulder. She managed to spot Amaya.

"Amaya! Help me!"

Amaya looked up from her food, looked at them, laughed, then continued eating. Yume drooped.

"Some bodyguard she is..."

Kisame chuckled again.

oOo

Kisame finally put Yume down when they were outside and stood by the limo. He dropped her down, then ask defencively, "What?" since Yume was scowling at him. She was going to yell at him for manhandling her in front of the whole school but saw his slightly puzzled look and sighed, her expression loosening,

"It's okay. It's nothing."

Kisame grinned,

"Great! Now get in the limo, you have band-practice!"

"Right!" Yume turned on her heel and made her way into the back of the limo as Kisame made his way to the drivers' seat.

She'd just closed the door and it was starting to pull away when there was a loud bang on the window.

"Let me in, woman!"

The limo stopped moving and so Yume crawled over the black leather seats and opened the door. Stood in the doorway was Amaya, wearing a white shirt, black jacket and trousers, and dark-tinted shades. Amaya dived in the limo and yelled,

"**Bam**! Amaya that bodyguard has a-_rrived_!"

Yume laughed and closed the door behind her. The screen sectioning off the front of the limo opened up to reveal Kisame's curious face. When he realised it was Amaya who had gotten in, he smirked.

"Good to see you, kid."

"You too, blue face."

And with that, the screen closed again and the limo set off. It only took about two minutes for Yume to swear she would never get in a car again if Kisame was driving.

They arrived at the academy in under five minutes. Kisame opened the back door to let the girls out, only he had to go in and get them because they had been thrown about so much they could barely walk. He set them both on the ground, made sure they could stand on their own, then said with a grin,

"See ya' later." Then he got back in the limo and took it to the parking lots. When he was gone the two looked at each other, not really knowing what to do. Yume knew she had band-practice, it was just the fact that Kisame had forgotten to tell her where...and how to get there in the first place. The pair set off searching, heading towards the large main building. On the way over, Amaya's fangirl instincts kicked in.

"Hey, I just realised," Her eyes glinted, "the Akatsuki boys will be here too, won't they?" She darted her head round, "Let's go say hi!"

Yume laughed. "Maybe later. We've got to find my new band first."

"Oh yeah!" Amaya said with a wink, digging her friend in the ribs, "Pretty cute too, don't you think? What's that guy's name? Kimi..ko? Oh wait no! That's that crazy-girl's name! Gah! Why do they have to sound the same? I'm gonna get so confused!"

Yume laughed as Amaya attempted to remember the right name, only ending up with 'Kimiko' each time. Yume helped her out,

"It's Kimimaro."

A soft voice from behind them said,

"Oh, well it's good to know you remember us."

The two girl's turned to see Haku stood there, smiling brightly. They both smiled back.

"Hi, Haku!"

Amaya, still with the smile plastered on her face, leant over to Yume and whispered,

"Have I met her before? She seems familiar."

"It's Haku. You met _him_ at the party."

Amaya giggled,

"Really? I don't remember much..."

Yume rolled her eyes,

"Yeah, something told me you wouldn't."

The two girl's turned back to Haku and smiled again. Yume stepped forward.

"Umm, please tell me you're here to take me to band practice?"

Haku nodded, turning slightly on his heel to point in the direction, his school bag swinging loosely by his side.

"Yes, we didn't think you'd know where to go."

Amaya laughed,

"Yeah, you got it buddy! Now, Yume, since you have someone to go with... I'm gonna go have a wander, 'kay?"

"Alright," Yume said cheerily, just happy to see a familiar face again. So as Amaya went off on her epic journey around the vast academy buildings, Haku guided Yume to the band practice hall. Little did they know at that very moment a phone-call was being made...

_brriinngg briinnggg, briinngg briinnggg, briinngg briinn-_

"Yes? Who is it?" Asked the long haired head-master of the academy. He had to hold the phone away from his ear when the caller gave their reply.

"Orochimaru! Get Amaya back here right now!"

"Aahh, Tsunade, so nice to hear from you again, but I must say, I have no idea who you're talking about."

"Urghh, well my student, Yume Chiles. She's here for her band practice."

"Yes, I am aware of her."

"Well she brought along a friend. And believe you me, you do _not_ want Amaya in your school."

"So what would you like me to do, 'ey Tsunade?"

"Get her back! Yume's supposed to be out of school, but right now Amaya's missing History so we need her back!"

Orochimaru chuckled, "Alright, alright, Tsunade. I'll send out the tracking-squad and have her back to you in no time at all."

There was a sigh from the other end, "Thanks Orochimaru. I owe you one."

"Hn, it's a date." He said with a mischievous smile. With that, he put the phone down and then rested his chin on his hands. As if on cue someone walked into the room. Orochimaru smiled, "Ah, Karin, could you be so kind as to inform the search team to look out for a teenage girl who looks like she's up to no good who goes by the name of Amaya?"

The red-haired girl nodded.

"Yes sir." And with that she left. Orochimaru sighed and went back to doing his boring paperwork. He would much rather be having fun hunting down this intruder.

Haku and Yume arrived at the practice hall in no time at all. When they arrived, Haku went in first and held the door open for her. She giggled.

"Thank you, Haku."

He smiled back,

"You're welcome."

Yume turned from Haku and looked at the room she stood in.

"Wow!"

Her outburst grabbed the attention of the other two males in the room, who were up on the large stage about ten, fifteen meters away. The rest of the room reminded Yume of an opera-house. It was painted a dark red colour, with rows upon rows of red velvet seat for viewing the stage. Luckily they were all empty. The rafters were strung with lights and speaker-boxes, and it all looked very professional. Well they were a private academy after all...

Haku walked up next to her and studied her face.

"Impressed?"

Yume nodded her head slowly,

"Yeah..."

Haku laughed quietly. He took her by the hand and walked her over to the stage steps. She walked up them and spotted Suigetsu. Haku let go of her hand so she walked over with a smile on her face. He looked at her and grinned,

"Hey Yume, great party the other day."

She nodded with a smile. "Thanks."

He gave a chuckled, knowing better than to say anything else. Just then Haku said,

"Okay, we're all here. Yume, do you want to start now?"

She looked back at him,

"Sure, I guess... but I don't know any of your songs."

He raised his hands,

"That's okay, we're not a big time band yet so we're only doing covers of other bands."

"Oh, sure, then."

Haku smiled again,

"Well if that's okay, we'll start with... how about 'Bulletproof' by Kerli?"

Suigetsu decided to point out, bursting Haku's bubble,

"Haku... we've never done that before."

"I know! But it's a good song!"

Suigetsu turned to Yume,

"You heard it before?"

She nodded enthusiastically,

"Sure! I love it."

Suigetsu sighed, rubbing his neck,

"Okay fine, we can do it but.. hell, I don't even know what it sounds like! Got any sheet music or something?"

It seemed as though Haku had come prepared. He reached into his school bag and pulled out sheet music. He flicked through them until he pulled one out from the pile and said,

"There you go. Guitarist."

Suigetsu rolled his eyes.

"Ever the efficient guy you are..."

He took the music from Haku and skimmed over it. "Meh, not so hard, but it's a bloody girl's song!"

Yume cleared her throat. Suigetsu, forgetting Yume was there at all, suddenly remembered.

"Oh right, we've got you now..."

She giggled. Haku passed out the sheets to everyone, including Kimimaro who hadn't spoken the whole time they'd been there. Even Suigetsu thought he was being more quiet than usual. As they were setting up their equipment and Haku was helping Yume adjust the microphone at the front, Suigetsu took it upon himself to find out what was going on.

"Hey, bud. What's up?"

Kimimaro looked at him,

"What do you mean?"

"You gone shy or something?"

"If you're talking about Yume, then no."

"Then why so quiet?"

Kimimaro adjusted a cymbal,

"It's nothing you don't already know. You said it yourself a while ago."

Suigetsu only became more puzzled,

"Come again?"

Kimimaro shook his head. "It doesn't matter. If you remember, you remember, if not, it's no big deal."

"But-"

"Hook your guitar up to the amp and lets get going."

Suigetsu glared at his friend. He muttered under his breath, then decided to do what he was told. A couple of minutes more and everyone was ready to go. It all went silent, so Kimimaro, deciding he wanted to prove his friend wrong, called over to Yume with a smile (Suigetsu's jaw dropped open),

"Tell us when you're ready and we'll give this song a go."

She turned and looked at him, slightly shocked he'd spoken,

"Okay!" When she turned back to the microphone she didn't notice Haku and Suigetsu staring at Kimimaro in shock. Her stomach started to tighten through nerves, but this was only because she'd never sung in front of these guys before. Luckily for her, she could make a good impression because this was a song she knew well and liked.

She took a deep breath, then turned to the guys.

"Okay! I'm good to go."

"Right." Kimimaro and the others nodded. Suigetsu counted down.

"3...2...1..."

Suigetsu came in on the first chord, Kimimaro hitting the drums along side him.

(A/N: _this – _Yume. _**This**_ – Haku (because he has the girlish voice for a backing singer!)(listen to it, it SOUNDS LIKE HAKU!... but anyway..))

_'Just a simple touch,  
Just a little glance,  
Makes me feel like flyin'...  
But where are you tonight?  
Something isn't right,  
Can you please stop hiding..._

Haku came in on his keyboard, only making Yume smile, finally feeling like part of a band._  
_

_I am trying not to think about  
All the things you did before...  
But sometimes it all just gets to me  
I can't take it any more...  
I'll stay with you,  
__But remember,  
Be careful what you do..  
'Cause I'm not bulletproof..._

_In your secret place,  
Staring into space,  
Leaves me feeling frozen...  
__I just need to feel  
that what we have is real  
And I'm the one you've chosen_

_I am trying not to think about  
All the things you did before...  
But sometimes it all just gets to me  
I can't fake it any more...  
I'll stay with you,__  
But remember ,  
Be careful what you do..  
'Cause I'm not bulletproof..._

_….I am trying not to think about  
All the things you did before..  
But sometimes it all just gets to me  
I can't fake it any more...  
I'll stay with you,  
__But remember,  
and be careful what you do..._

_'cause I'm not bulletproof...  
And I'm not bulletproof... (__**Remember 'cause I'm not bulletproof...**__)_

_And I'm not bulletproof (__**And I'm not bulletproof..**__)_

_I'm not bulletproof...! (__**I'm not bulletproof...**__)_

_I'm not bulletproof...! ('__**cause I'm not bulletproof...**__)_

_I'm not bulletpro-of... (__**I am trying not to think about**__)_

_I'm not bulletpro-of... (__**But sometimes it all just gets to me**__)_

_I'm not bulletpro-of... (__**I'll stay with you but remember**__)_

_I'm not bulletpro-o-of... ('__**cause I'm not bulletproof**__)_

_I'm not bulletproof... (**'cause **__**I'm not bulletproof)**_'

(Yume whispered the last few words as the boys rounded off the song)

_'I'm not bulletproof...'_

Haku pressed the last note on the keyboard, then looked up, smiling happily,

"Yume, that was amazing!"

Suigetsu and Kimimaro agreed. Yume turned round to them and clapped.

"You guys are awesome! That song was brilliant! Ooh! I'm so happy!" She said, jumping up and down with overjoyed excitement. These guys were _far_ better than anyone in her old band, and so this opened many opportunities for her.

She only realised she was acting like an idiot when Suigetsu started laughing at her. She stopped jumping around immediately and laughed nervously,

"Sorry..."

Suigetsu stopped laughing. He looked at her curiously,

"Why are you apologising?"

"Ah!" She raised her hands, "Sorry! Hidan told me to stop doing that as well.."

Suigetsu beamed and pointed off into the distance.

"Hear that, Kimimaro? Your best friend acts like Hidan! See! I told you I was awesome but you wouldn't believe me!"

Kimimaro scratched his head, sighing and wondering why he was friends with Suigetsu in the first place. He couldn't help but smile when he heard Yume's reply of,

"But Suigetsu, being like Hidan isn't a good thing!"

Suigetsu's jaw dropped. He took a step back in shock and said in mocking anger,

"Blasphemer! How could you say that about a member of Akatsuki!"

"Hey! I love them too but-"

"Love! **Love? **I don't love them! I worship the very ground they walk on!" Yume had to quickly look away when Suigetsu lifted his school top up. "See! I wear this shirt everywhere I go!"

Kimimaro and Haku rolled their eyes. Now she'd done it. Suigetsu was going to start ranting-

"Look! I even have a tattoo on my-"

"Yume, shield your eyes!" Cried Haku, doing the same.

"What- AHH!" Yume did as she was told as Suigetsu started to unbuckle his trousers. Kimimaro decided to intervene. He got up from his drum kit and walked across to the undressing blue-haired boy, got up behind him and swiftly smacked him across the back of the head. The boy fell to the floor in pain and started rolling around on the ground, yelling,

"Jeez, Kimi, why'd you have to go and do that?"

"You're going to give Yume and Haku nightmares, and remember, Haku is in _your_ dorm, so you'll have to deal with him. I was just doing you a favour."

Suigetsu mumbled, "...smarty-...no-it-all... bighead..."

Kimimaro gave a small smirk then turned to the other two and said,

"Next song?"

Haku nodded. He looked at Yume and said,

"Now, how about we do one we actually know how to play?"

"Sure!" She said, eager to try another song.

Kimimaro interjected,

"You have a delicate voice, so can I suggest a song?"

She looked over to him and nodded, smiling slightly at what he'd said. It seemed to be getting easier and easier to impress Yume...

Kimimaro continued, "Well..."

oOo

Elsewhere in the vast buildings, Amaya was still trying to find the Akatsuki boys. Unfortunately, all she'd managed to find were seven classrooms full of angry looking pupils, three bathrooms – one of which she used, an empty science-lab, a broom cupboard, and lots and lots of never ending corridors.

She propped herself up against the wall with her hands on her knees. She already knew she was lost, and there was probably no way she would find her way out by the end of the day, but never the less, with the thought of finding Itachi and the others, she decided to carry on. She stood up from the wall and then suddenly stopped. There was a smell. A wonderful, magnificent smell. A smell so nice, Amaya decided to drop her hunt for the boys to go and investigate it.

She followed her nose down the corridor, through a few pairs of doors, and then arrived at a closed wooden door. Her eyes sparked when she read the words 'A-level Kitchens'. She knew she shouldn't, but the temptation was just too great. She took hold of the door-handle and turned it.

The smell from before seemed to leap through the doorway at her, knocking her back slightly. She stepped forward into the largest kitchen she had ever seen. The walls were made with white marble slabs, the floor was light varnished wood, the room was full of ovens, grills, freezers, fridges, griddles, rotisseries, blenders, microwaves, spice-racks, you name it, it was in this room. Amaya was in heaven. She seemed to float into the room, almost accidentally knocking over a cute male chef as she went past- wait what? Amaya backed up.

"Why hello there, my name's Amaya, what's yours?" She said, leaning on the worktop next to him. He glanced at her for a second, then continued to chop up the carrots.

"Hi?" He replied. Amaya frowned. He was obviously concentrating, but he was also trying to ignore her, she could tell.

"What'cha doooing~?"

"What does it look like?"

Amaya scowled.

"Fine! Be like that!" She turned and walked off. On her way she gave him a sharp kick in the shin.

"Hey!"

Amaya ran. Today was obviously not going to be Amaya's day because as she ran, men in uniform came running past her and into the middle of the kitchen. One stopped as she was passing and asked,

"Excuse me, have you seen a suspicious looking girl called Amaya around here?"

She took a step back, then put on her poker-face. "No, don't think so. Now, I've got to get to class so..." She started to walk away, but unfortunately for her, since she'd just gone and kicked the boy in the shins, he was all up for telling on her. He even stopped cutting vegetables to do so. He smirked evilly and pointed directly at Amaya, saying,

"That's her. She's not from this school and she's disrupting lessons."

The group of men turned round and looked at her. She jumped in panic and turned on her heel. As she was running away as fast as her legs would carry her, she just had to shout back,

"And I thought you were cute!"

The group of men started to chase.

oOo

Amaya felt like she was running around in circles again, but this time she knew she couldn't stop for breath because for whatever reason those men were trying to get her for, it was probably _not_ good. She gulped at the thought,

_'They better not be trying to give me a restraining order against Itachi..._'

Instinctively she turned round and yelled,

"Come on! It was a joke! I don't seriously have a life sized Itachi doll in my wardrobe!"

The advancing men stopped in their tracks, looking speechless, then a couple started to snicker. Amaya took a step back, looking embarrassed,

"Hehe... not about that then- Okay!" She turned around and started running again. After the men had stopped laughing, they started up the chase again, lagging behind a little more than before. As they were running, one man pulled a walkie-talkie from his pocket and pressed a button. He raised the device to his lips and said,

"Sir, we're chasing her now. She is in out sights."

The lips of the man at the other end creased upwards into a sly smirk.

"Excellent work. I'll be with you in a moment."

"Sir, that's unnecessary-"

"Oh, but I insist." He said in a casual, yet unknowingly forceful tone. The man at the other end said quickly,

"Of course, sir."

Orochimaru let go of the intercom receiver and rose to his feet. He strode across the darkly lit headmasters' office and opened the door wide. He took a deep breath, as if his office was starving him of oxygen.

"The chase is on..."

oOo

Amaya knew they were closing in behind her, although she couldn't see them because she'd just turned a corner. She knew she had to hide. That was when she heard it. The sweet sound of music. It was coming from a room just down the corridor from where she was stood. Hallelujah!

Amaya ran as fast as her legs would carry her across the floor until she reached the room. She took hold of the handle, quickly looked down the corridor to check if the men were in sight, then opened the door and ran inside. She was just in time not to be seen, but as the men turned the corner, they heard a door slam. They knew she was close, all they had to do was check each room. The hunt would be over soon...

"Amaya?"

The girl in question turned to see five familiar faces looking at her curiously. Each was holding an instrument.

It was the Akatsuki. Bingo!

"OH MY GOD I'VE FINALLY FOUND YOU!...now do me a favour and _HIDE ME_!"

She dived randomly into the group of guys and sat on the floor. They all looked down at her, then at each other, then back at Amaya. Sasori said,

"I think I speak for all of us when I say... what and why are you here?"

Amaya covered her head with her hands, trying to hide herself more.

"No time to explain!"

Hidan smirked,

"We won't hide you until you tell us a good enough reason for barging in on our rehearsal."

Amaya looked around,

"_This_ is your practice room?" She nearly burst out laughing. Hidan scowled,

"No! Our hall is being used by some randomers so we got put in here."

"Oh.."

There was a sudden bang outside the room - somewhere close, like the sound of a door being kicked in. Amaya jumped up and hugged Tobi.

"Help me!"

Tobi hugged her back, happy for someone to _finally_ hug him, and yelled,

"Okay~! Tobi will save you!" ... but he just sat with his arms around her. Amaya sweat-dropped.

"Guys! Please?"

Deidara stood up and walked over to his brunette friend and pried his hands off of Amaya. She dropped to the ground, so Deidara grabbed her hand and pulled her across the floor to an open locker. He stopped just outside it and turned to Amaya,

"Want to tell me what's going on, yeah?"

Amaya heard another bang down the hallway. She panicked and started talking at lightening speed,

"Yume's-here-for-band-practice-and-I-came-with-her-as-her-bodyguard. She-went-with-some-kid-called-Haku-to-some-place-so-I-got-to-wander-round," She took a much needed breath. "And then these guys started chasing me and I don't know what for!"

Deidara seemed to have perked up when he'd heard Yume was here. As he was thinking about it, he absentmindedly shoved Amaya into the locker and closed the door. She poked her finger out through one of the vents and whispered,

"Thank you."

Deidara walked back to the group and said,

"It's Yume and her new band who've got the rehearsal hall, yeah."

Hidan looked up. His lips grew into a smile.

"She's still here?"

Deidara shrugged, but he was thinking the same thing as well. Just then the door was kicked in. The boys looked up, a couple with their eyebrows raised. A few of the men filed in, but when they realised the room was occupied, let alone by Akatsuki, they stopped and adopted a more formal stance. One of the men cleared his throat, then said,

"My apologies, but have you seen an unknown girl in the school?"

Being the kind, sensitive people they were, the Akatsuki decided to save Amaya's sorry little butt and act dumb. Though, in Tobi's case, he just acted normal. Sasori sighed and stared at the men,

"That really isn't much help. There are a _lot _of girls in this school, and we can't possibly know all of them. So, yes, we have seen unknown girls."

Sasori smirked at his own brilliance. Deidara rolled his eyes.

"What does she look like, yeah?"

One man came forward and said,

"We only got a glimpse of her, but she has shoulder-length black hair, she's short – about five foot four, and she is wearing a foreign school uniform."

Four of the males shook their heads and Tobi added a cheery,

"Sorry~!"

Hidan was the only one who didn't shake. He still held a grudge against Amaya and needed to seek his revenge from the previous day, when she had made him leave Yume's house wearing a dress.

As the others were looking at the squad of men, Hidan managed to catch the eye of one of them. He gradually turned his head and rubbed his nose with one finger, or more, pointed at the locker Amaya was hidden in. The man from the squad seemed to understand what he meant because he whispered to his companion. It managed to circulate around the rest of the group, which Deidara and Itachi seemed to notice. They both turned and glared at Hidan. He shrugged his shoulders and said,

"What?"

The search-squad started to move to the back of the room so Itachi rose to his feet and stood in their way.

"Can I help you?" He said, his eyes locked on them in a menacing stare. They seemed to back up a bit.

"Sir, not to be rude but we need to search the room."

As the men started advancing again, Itachi took a step towards them. The rest of Akatsuki were watching closely, shocked and curious about Itachi's actions. He was protecting Amaya.

He said with an eerie calmness,

"You are interrupting our band practice. We are what keeps this school with its academy status. I suggest you leave, unless you want us to inform Orochimaru that it was because of _you_ that we could not practice, so we couldn't perform, so we couldn't get the money and give a third to the school. Do you want that to happen?"

The men looked at each other, then with a few swift movements they turned and left the room, saying that she must be in a different room – although they knew otherwise.

After they had left and the door had finally closed, Itachi's expression softened and he walked over to the locker where Amaya was. He took hold of the handle and opened the door to have Amaya fall into him. He took her by the shoulders and looked down at her. She looked back up at him, speechless for once in her life. She stared for a moment, then found her voice,

"H-hey, Itachi...uhh... thanks for helping me out- and _you_!" She said, rounding on Hidan, trying to change the subject from her love-interest holding her. "Don't think I didn't see that before!"

Hidan smirked,

"Pay back for the dress, bitch!"

"Why you-" Amaya got past Itachi and went to charge at him, but Itachi kept hold of the back of her school jumper. She was about to start yelling again, but Itachi threw his hand forward and covered her mouth.

"The men are still outside."

She calmed down almost instantly. Nobody seemed to know why they were chasing her, and that was _never_ a good thing. Sasori talked to her in a hushed tone.

"We'll start playing again, then you leave. They won't hear anything for the music."

"B-but- I JUST GOT HERE!"

"You're Yume's bodyguard."

"But she's with her band!" She said with a pout. Sasori shook his head.

"It was her old band that hurt her last time, don't you remember?"

When he said it, Deidara and Hidan seemed to tense as well, realising the truth of the fact. The thing was that her new band was an all male one. Anything could happen. Deidara got up and grabbed hold of Amaya, forcing her to walk to the door. Within a couple of seconds, he opened the door and threw her out into the corridor. He was _very_ keen for her to get back to Yume now. The only problem was, Deidara had just thrown Amaya out into the corridor, forgetting the search-squad were waiting for her outside. She screamed when they saw her and ran. The Akatsuki boys ran to the door when they heard the commotion. Deidara turned and scratched his head sheepishly.

"Oops...got carried away, yeah."

The other males sweat-dropped. They all walked back into the room, into to their places and picked up their instruments. Just as they were about to start playing again, Deidara smirked,

"So Itachi, why did you stop them earlier, yeah?"

Itachi didn't look up from his guitar.

"Would you have let them take her away? We don't know what it's for. It could have been _anything_ knowing Orochimaru."

Deidara didn't retort. Itachi's reasoning was sound. Though the thing was, he knew Itachi was getting a soft spot for the crazy raven-haired girl. Deidara picked up his own guitar and started to strum.

oOo

Yume and the boys had been playing song after song, finding which ones sounded right for them. They were on their last one now, and this was Yume's choice of song. 'The Writer' by Ellie Goulding.

_'You wait for a silence  
I wait for a word  
Lie next to your frame  
Girl unobserved  
You change your position  
And you are changing me  
Casting these shadows  
Where they shouldn't be_

_We're interrupted by the heat of the sun  
Trying to prevent what's already begun  
You're just a body  
I can smell your skin  
And when I feel it, you're wearing thin_

_But I've got a plan  
Why don't you be the artist; and make me out of clay?  
Why don't you be the writer and decide the words I say?  
'cause I'd rather pretend  
I'll still be there at the end  
Only it's too hard to ask... won't you try to help me_

_Sat on your sofa...it's all broken springs  
This isn't the place for those violin strings  
I try out a smile and I aim it at you  
You must have missed it  
You always do  
_

_But I've got a plan  
Why don't you be the artist; and make me out of clay?  
Why don't you be the writer and decide the words I say?  
'cause I'd rather pretend  
I'll still be there at the end  
Only it's too hard to ask... won't you try to help me_

_You wait, I wait, casting shadows, interrupted  
You wait, I wait, casting shadows, interrupted  
You wait, I wait, casting shadows'_

_'But I've got a plan  
Why don't you be the artist; and make me out of clay?  
Why don't you be the writer and decide the words I say?  
'cause I'd rather pretend  
I'll still be there at the end  
Only it's too hard to ask... won't you try to help me_

_But I've got a plan  
Why don't you be the artist; and make me out of clay?  
Why don't you be the writer and decide the words I say?  
'cause I'd rather pretend  
I'll still be there at the end  
Only it's too hard to ask... won't you try to help me...'_

Yume listened to the last notes being played by her new band and held onto the mic. When they had finished, the boys started clapping. Yume turned in surprise to see all _three_ with their mouths dropped.

"What did I do?" She asked, confused. Kimimaro replied,

"When you like a song, you sing it well. _Very_ well."

Yume blushed. She didn't realise she'd done anything different from the other four songs. Haku laughed then turned and started to pack up his keyboard. The others started to do the same so Yume turned around, picked up the microphone and took it over to the side of the stage, securing it in place against the wall.

She turned back to the others, catching Kimimaro's eye. He seemed to take this as an opportunity and called her over. She looked at him, then walked over happily,

"Are you okay?" She asked, putting her hands behind her back and leaning down to his level as he was putting away his drum kit. He looked at her and said,

"Would you help me take this apart? It would take less time."

"Sure!" She said enthusiastically. Kimimaro moved to the side slightly so she could get to a couple of the drums and unhinge them from the rest.

As they were working, he realised that his other two friends were listening to what was going on, but even so, he decided to go for it. As Yume put the last drum on the floor, Kimimaro rose to his feet and stood next to her. She turned round and nearly bumped into his chest.

"O-oh, Sorry, Kimimaro."

He gave her a small smile,

"It's fine. I was wondering..." Yume looked at him curiously, "Would you like to go out for a meal with me tonight?"

There was a sudden crash from behind them. The pair turned to see Suigetsu on the floor, checking that the amp he had just dropped was okay. Yume giggled nervously, then turned back to Kimimaro.

"Kimimaro, I'm _really_ sorry, but I'm already going out tonight."

He raised his eyebrow.

"With who?" He dreaded the reply. It would most definitely be one of the members of Akatsuki.

"My friend, Amaya! We're going prom-dress shopping."

He let out an internal sigh of relief, then realised what she had just said,

"Prom-dress shopping?"

Yume picked up two of the drums and started to walk to the side of the stage with them.

"Yeah! It's in a few months."

He was cautious when he said,

"...are you going with anyone?"

Yume froze for a second, then continued with what she was doing.

"I'm not sure. If I don't get asked I'll just go with Amaya."

Kimimaro opened his mouth to say the obvious thing, but his friend showed up behind him and planted a hand over his mouth. Suigetsu whispered in his ear,

"Too soon, mate. Don't do it."

Yume turned round so Suigetsu removed his hand and went back to what he was doing. Just then the four looked from the stage because there was a door slamming. There was a scream. They didn't know what was happening until...

"Yume! Help me!" Amaya said, running up the stairs and latching onto her arm. Yume laughed.

"Amaya, what are you doing-"

"Good afternoon, sir." Kimimaro, Haku and Suigetsu said in unison. They were stood straight, not moving. Yume looked over to the staircase to see people running up it. At the front was a man with pale white skin and crazy purple make-up around the eyes. He was running at Amaya with an insane look on his face. Amaya's hold on Yume tightened. She looked at the man and asked,

"Can I help?"

The man seemed to stop in his tracks. He looked at the Yume, then at Amaya, then composed himself and stood straight. He walked over to the girls and outstretched his hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Chiles."

"Umm..." Yume looked at the hand, and then deciding not to be rude, shook it. Then she asked, "Sorry, but... who are you?"

He smiled,

"My dear, I am the headmaster of this academy."

"Ah." Said Yume. Then she remembered the nervous wreck clinging onto her arm. "Can I ask why are you chasing Amaya?"

Orochimaru sighed,

"She is performing an act of truancy against your school. You should be here, she should not. Your headmistress has told me to get her back to your school as fast as possible, but I admit," He said with a chuckle, "She is good at evading us."

Yume rolled her eyes, "Don't I know it..."

Just then Amaya let go of Yume and rose to her full height.

"Wait! Hold on there, Jackson Junior! You're telling me that I've been running around your school for an hour, scared shitless...and all because I'm doing _**truancy**_! IS THAT IT? I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO KILL ME!"

Orochimaru ignored her comments and simply reached out and grabbed her by the arm. She let out a small squeak, then a yell as he started to drag her away. Yume hung her head, and decided to follow. Band practice was over now anyway. She waved to her band-members, then followed everyone down the stairs and out of the room.

Twenty minutes later and Yume found herself back at her own school with Kisame driving away in the limo. He opened the window and called,

"See you next time!"

There wasn't going to _be_ a next time. And if there was, Yume would be taking a taxi.

The two friends walked together into the main entrance of the school, and then looked at the clock on the wall. It was '14:40'. There was only one period left in school. Amaya put her hands behind her head, turned round and started walking away, saying,

"It's only one period? Who's going to miss us- OUCH! GET OFF ME WOMAN!"

Yume walked along the corridor, dragging Amaya by the ear the whole way.

Amaya poured the flour into the bowl grudgingly. Damn Yume for dragging her to catering. Yume wasn't even in this lesson! Why should she care if she wasn't there! The worst part of it was, since Amaya had been late, she had been paired up with Ino Yamanaka of all people! Now she had to listen to 'Sasuke this' and 'Sasuke that'. Amaya mumbled under her breath,

"Sasuke has a small penis..."

The girl next to her froze. She moved like a robot, turning her head to look at Amaya.

"What did you just say about my Sasuke?"

Amaya smirked.

"You heard me. Sasuke has a small- AUGH!" Amaya dived out of the way of a measuring jug. Although the jug didn't hit her, the content spilled out onto her apron. Amaya glared then grabbed the closest thing to her and threw it back at Ino. An apple peeler. Ino threw the spoon she had been holding. Amaya threw the knife next to her. The war started. Unfortunately the teacher was out of the room at the moment, so there was no one to stop the madness, which was only made worse when a certain black haired girl entered the room. She pointed at the two girls fighting on the floor and screamed,

"Which one of you two insulted Sasuke?"

They both stopped fighting to look up at Kimiko with a 'how the hell did you know that' look on their faces. She glared at them.

"Well it was one of you! My Sasuke-being-insulted-senses were tingling!"

Without waiting for an answer, she yelled a battle-cry then dived onto the pile.

Oh poor Amaya. Things just got worse and worse. Take the next minute for instance:

As the three girls were fighting on the floor, a figure ran into the room and yelled, "Amaya!" In a loud, happy and very energetic voice. There was a sudden outburst of screams and cries from excited fangirls. Amaya looked up from choking Ino to see Tobi stood in the doorway; the orange mask he only wore for concerts in place.

"You left this in our rehearsal room!" She was about to ask, but then she noticed something in his grasp. She looked down and felt around her neck. Damn. Tobi proceeded to open the heart-shaped locket so Amaya jumped off Ino and ran at Tobi, rugby-tackling him and almost sending him flying out of the room. She grabbed the locket from him and held it over his face.

"Did Itachi see inside this?"

"Nope~!" Amaya let out a sigh of pure relief. "But the rest of us did."

Amaya proceeded to bang Tobi's head against the floor, screaming random curses at him... and of course, it was just Amaya's luck. At that very moment, the teacher walked back into the room. She saw Amaya banging the head of a famous band member against the floor, and Ino fighting with the new girl. Great.

"Amaya! Ino! What do you think you're doing?" The two girls stopped and looked up at their teacher. "Well?"

"Well, Miss..." Amaya started to talk, and then she decided if she was going down, a certain blonde best friend was going down too, just so she would have someone to talk to. "She started it all!"

Amaya said this, rising to her feet and pointing at Yume, who just so happened to be walking past with a box of percussion instruments for her music lesson. Yume heard her name and looked inside. She nearly fell over in shock when she saw what was going on inside the classroom.

They filed into the room silently. Well, Yume was silent, everyone else was making a fuss.

"But Miss, she started it! She threw the jug!"

"She insulted Sasuke!"

"They both insulted Sasuke, I felt it!"

"Tobi doesn't go to this school! Why does Tobi have detention?"

Yume sweat-dropped again. When they were all in their seats, Kurenai said,

"Half an hour." With that she left the classroom.

They sat in silence for about five, ten minutes, then Amaya got bored and decided to seek her continuous revenge against the two girls sitting at the front of the class. Amaya reached into her pencil case and pulled out a pen. She pulled her arm back, and threw it, yelling,

"Wahahaaaaa!"

The pen slipped from her hand, so it only made it to the other side of her own desk. Everyone looked at her so she said loudly,

"Pah! That was _supposed _to happen!"

They rolled their eyes and turned back to the front.

Tobi, who was sat at the very back of the classroom, decided that throwing pens looked like fun. He pulled one out and with a small flick of the wrist, he sent it flying across the room and into the back of Amaya's head. She turned round and glared at Tobi.

"I hate you!"

"Whyyyyyyy?" He cried in a childish voice.

"Cause I do!" '_Stupid no good person with better aim than me!'_

The rest of the detention was filled with lots of short outbursts, and then when it was finally over, Kurenai returned and let them leave.

Yume and Amaya walked down the deserted school corridors together, talking away. Yume asked,

"Do you think it's too late to go shopping now?"

Amaya scoffed.

"Nah! Of course not! Let's go go go!" She said, grabbing hold of Yume's wrist and pulling her along at lightening speed. It was prom-dress shopping. There was _always _time.

The two ran out of the school building, and Yume checked her watch. They just had time to catch the next bus. It was a good thing they were running because when they arrived at the bus stop, it was pulling out from the dock, so they managed to run up and bang on the glass. The bus driver opened the doors, let them on, and then it set off to the town-centre.

Insanity. That is the only word that could describe what was going on across the nine dress shops and one costume shop that Amaya and Yume went into. They both had the idea of what they wanted their dress to be like, but wouldn't tell the other one.

Yume browsed through a catalogue at the front desk, searching for a dress that would catch her eye. No luck so far. She had been planning on the exact prom-dress for as long as she could remember, and now all there was was to find it. She had the money for it – she had been saving for the past five years – now the only thing was to find it.

She turned another page, then stopped dead. There it was. Okay, it had a few more frills than what she had hoped, but still. It was the dress. _Her _dress.

Yume picked up the book and showed it to the woman at the desk.

"Do you have this in stock?"

The woman looked at the catalogue, then smiled and nodded.

"Yes, we have several out the back."

And with that the woman turned and walked in said direction. Yume was suddenly very excited. She ran across the shop to the changing rooms, where Amaya was putting on her dress, and banged her fist on the door.

"Amaya! I've found the dress!"

Amaya screamed back with the same amount of excitement,

"Me too!... with a few modifications..."

Yume waited in anticipation, but after five minutes and Amaya still hadn't come out of the dressing room, she shrugged and skipped back across the shop to where the woman was waiting with the dress in three different sizes. Yume's eyes were sparkling.

After the pair had finally bought their dresses, they headed off into town for a meal. Yume pointed to a small Thai restaurant.

"What about here?"

Amaya looked at it, then she laughed nervously.

"Yeeeeah...no."

Yume looked at her curiously.

"…why?"

"…I'm banned."

Yume didn't even bother asking why she'd been banned. She looked down the road.

"Okay, how about-"

"Not there either."

Yume had been about to point to another restaurant. She sighed.

"Okay, anywhere else you _can't _go?"

Amaya pointed to the eight other restaurants and the one charity shop she had been banned from on that street, then she spotted a restaurant she **hadn't** been banned from, and it looked relatively new.

Yume and Amaya stepped inside the restaurant and were greeted by a waiter.

"Kiba!" Yume said, shocked. He grinned at her.

"Hey girlie who sang with Akatsuki."

Yume dropped her head, hoping no one else had heard him.

He showed them to their seats, then left without any other comments – Yume didn't know it was only because Amaya had threatened him on the way over to the table. He came back with the menus, and after fifteen minutes of choosing he went away with their orders.

While they were waiting, Yume tried to get a look at Amaya's dress, but only ended up with a smack on the head. Amaya grabbed hold of her bag and yelled,

"No! Nevaaaaar!"

Yume laughed. "Alright, alright, I'll wait."

Amaya grinned. "Yeah, I bet you will!"

Kiba returned with the dishes and set them down on the table, then left to tend to other customers. Amaya looked at the food in front of her, and then as Yume expected, she started to inspect it. She did this with _every_ restaurant they went to. First she studied it, then she sniffed at it, then she poked it with her fork, and then finally she put a fork-full of spaghetti bolognese into her mouth.

Yume watched her friend with curiosity, happily eating her own pizza. She watched Amaya chew for a moment, then she stopped and her face contorted. Then she stuck her tongue out and gagged like a child. She slammed her fork back down and rose to her feet. Yume covered her ears and put her head on the table.

"Kiba! Get your butt over here right now!"

Kiba came running.

"What?"

"Get me the chef, now!"

"Uhhh..." Kiba was hesitant. Amaya growled.

"Now!"

Kiba ran off into the kitchen at top speed. Yume looked at her friend.

"What are you going to do...?"

Amaya giggled happily. That was what scared Yume the most. They looked up to see Kiba walking towards them with a very tall, very heavily built man who was wearing a chefs hat that looked three sizes too small for his head.

Yume prayed her friend would be sensible and back down.

_**'What am I thinking? It's Amaya, we're screwed!'**_

The two males arrived at the table so Yume did the sensible thing and buried her head on the table. It didn't stop her listening though. She heard Amaya start talking.

"This food is **shit! **Where is the salt? Where are the herbs and spices? YOU SIR, SHOULD NOT BE RUNNING A RESTAURANT!"

Yume sank further into her seat. She heard the man reply.

"You... I know you..." Yume heard rustling, then Amaya yelled,

"WHY HAVE YOU GOT A PHOTO OF ME? WHO ARE YOU?"

"My sister told be about you. She said you were trouble."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'TROUBLE'!... wait... who's your sister?"

"Kimiko. She's in your P.E class."

"What?" Yume heard Amaya's chair scrape across the floor as she stood up. Yume realized what was about to happen, but she never had a chance to stop it.

"IY-IY-IY-IY-IY!"

Yume's head shot up to see Amaya jumping off the table, and grabbing hold of the chef around the neck. This sent him crashing to the floor. She yelled,

"First, you can't cook, and _now_ you're related to **her**! WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE WORLD?"

The man proceeded to try and tackle the girl off him by any means necessary.

–

Half an hour later, Yume was pulling the key to the front door out of her pocket. Amaya grinned and said,

"Okay, so we got banned, but hey, I got to tick off something from my 'things to do before I die' list!"

Yume glanced at her, putting the key into the lock.

"And what was that?"

"I fought against a giant!"

Yume laughed and opened the front door. She took off her shoes, then ran up to her room holding the bag containing her prom-dress, leaving Amaya to do whatever she pleased. She carefully put the bag into her wardrobe, then stood up and brushed herself off. Today had been one hell of a first day back in school.

She walked over to her bed and collapsed onto it. She closed her eyes and sighed, then reached over and took hold of her phone. She turned the screen on.

_'6 missed calls'_

She picked the phone up and rolled back over, about to check the number, when she saw Amaya lying next to her on the bed. Amaya said happily,

"Hi there!"

"Amaya..." Yume said, a vein appearing on her forehead. "...GET OFF MY BED!"

Amaya burst into tears.

"Whyyy! I thought you loved me."

Yume rolled her eyes and turned over. She looked at the number from the missed calls and didn't recognize it. She decided to call the person back.

She punched in the number and raised the phone to her ear. There was a moment of silence, and then the person on the other end picked up.

"Hello?"

Yume seemed to recognize the voice. "Who is this?"

"Kimimaro Kaguya."

"Oh! Kimimaro! Hey!.. Umm... what did you want? I have six missed calls from you."

There was a pause from the other end.

"You have to keep practicing all the songs we did today."

"Oh," Yume said cheerily. "I was going to do that anyway."

"No, but you have to do it a lot more. We've got our first concert in two weeks. Seems like a lot of people at our school want to hear you."

"W-what?"

"Yes, there will be about six hundred, seven hundred people there."

"I-I-"

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure you'll be amaz- Yume? Hello? HELLO?"

Yume had fainted onto the bed. Amaya reached over and picked up the phone.

"Heya Kimimaro!"

"Who is this? Is Yume okay?"

Amaya looked down at her friend.

"Tch, she'll be fine! So...do you have a girlfriend at the mome- HEY!"

Kimimaro had put the phone down. Amaya rolled her eyes and closed the phone. She got off the bed, tucked Yume in, then left the room and went to watch 'Dora the Explorer' downstairs.

* * *

_MWUHA! DONE! CHAPTER 12! GO ME! It took forever to write, but I got it done eventually! I cut down as much as I could... but there was still too much! I had far too many ideas for this chapter!... I've also got Yume's final pairing sorted out (Grins devilishly)  
_

_Deidara: Don't you want to tell them? You might have to live with death threats, yeah._

_Me: (gulp) Didn't think of that... DEI-KUN! HIDE ME! (dives on Deidara)_

_Deidara: Oh great, yeah. Shouldn't have said anything... (turns to reader) Okay, no death threats please. I don't want to be living with a nervous wreck 24/7. We hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you next time!_

_X-Deidara's Lover-X  
_


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters found in Naruto, or any of the songs found in this chapter

Claimer: You know the drill! Yume and Amaya = mine! Also, Kakuzu's crazy intern is mine and anyone else who isn't from Naruto who I just decided to randomly throw in there is/are also mine!

Me: People! The day has come! I actually managed to get a chapter out IN LESS THAN A MONTH! (Fanfare and fireworks go off) AND it was during my exam season! I'm so proud of myself!

Deidara: Yeah, so now they know you can do it, you should be getting chapters out every month, right Sarah?

Me: Haha.. (laughs nervously) don't go giving them ideas Deidara... (TIP: When a song is being played, listen to it to get the right mood)

* * *

Chapter 13

After Yume had been slapped awake by Amaya, and after she had managed to pull herself out of shock about the short deadline of the upcoming concert, she set straight to work perfecting the songs she'd been practising with her new band. Throughout the next two weeks the only things she did were: go to school, dodge fangirls, pull Amaya away from any fights with Kimiko, go to band practice at the academy, dodge fan_boys _at the academy, practice songs at home and eat... and maybe sleep if she got the chance. In that time, she hadn't met up with any of the boys from Akatsuki other than Kisame who drove her to and from the academy – though she had to be dragged to the limo every time, kicking and screaming for a taxi. On the other hand, she had been spending more and more time with her three new friends. Within those two weeks Yume had grown close to the boys. It had started off with just Haku, since he was the easier one to talk to. They had even gone shopping for outfits for the concert together. Then Kimimaro started talking to her more, and Suigetsu just seemed to drift into place. They were all friends now and Yume found it very easy to talk to them about anything and everything. She was forever grateful to Sasori and the others for introducing them.

Those two weeks had flown by fast, and it was already the night of the concert. Yume was stood in one of the gigantic bathrooms inside the academy, and was putting her hair up into their usual pig-tails. When she was done she stood back from the mirror and gave a shaky sigh, nerves starting to get to her. It was made worse because her usual comforting friend wasn't here. This was because Amaya had been banned from visiting the academy for a month because of the last visit she made. Yume had to do this concert without her best friend being there, but she knew she would just have to suck it up and go for it. She couldn't let six hundred people down.

Yume's face paled at the thought of all the people. There would be more in the hall tonight than in the previous concert.

_'It's only a couple of hundred more, it'll be okay, I won't die. I'll be fine..'_

_**'Breathe damn it! Just breathe, in...and out... and in... and out...'**_

Yume looked up from the bathroom mirror when she heard a knock on the door. She picked up and bottle of liquid eye-liner and called,

"Hello?"

The friendly feminine voice of Haku called back,

"Are you nearly done, Yume? We're going on stage soon."

Her stomach twisted.

"Oh yeah... I'm almost ready." The last part came out more of a squeak than actual talking. Haku gave a small laugh from his side of the door.

"It's okay to be nervous, you know. We're all feeling the same."

Yume giggled.

"I bet Suigetsu's not."

"Well okay, _apart _from Suigetsu, we're all feeling the same."

Yume set the eye-liner back down and checked herself over in the mirror. She quickly re-did one of her pigtails, then walked over to the bathroom door and opened it. Haku stood in front of her with his usually tame her spiking out in every direction. Yume had to suppress a giggle. Haku laughed nervously.

"It was my friend, Zabuza's, idea."

"Oh, well it looks very...rocky." She stuck her hand out and pressed down on one of the spikes, only to have it spring back up to full height again. Her eyes lit up. Haku sighed and turned away, heading towards where the other two were getting ready. Yume walked with him, playing with his hair the whole way.

By the time they had reached the other two boys, Haku had his arms wrapped around Yume, holding her hands by her sides. She was laughing madly. Kimimaro raised an eyebrow.

"Something happen?"

Haku let go of Yume and burst into chibi-tears.

"She wouldn't stop bouncing my hair!"

Suigetsu looked at him weirdly, then shrugged and turned back to his guitar, used to the strange antics of Yume by now. She smiled sweetly.

Haku wiped his eyes then ran over to his keyboard, checking it over. Yume sat down on a chair, resting her chin on her knuckles. Kimimaro looked over at her and asked,

"Are you okay?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm just running over some of the song lyrics."

Kimimaro gave her a smile – something that seemed to be appearing more and more these days – and turned back to his drum-kit.

After about five minutes, they all rose to their feet and picked up their instruments. Yume got up and grabbed her microphone-stand from the side, then they all headed off to the hall where they would be performing.

Yume hummed to herself as they went, and they soon arrived outside the performance hall. They had to go around to the back so as not to be seen by anyone, but they arrived onto the stage in no time. The curtains were closed so they couldn't be seen. Yume set her microphone down at the front, then turned and helped Kimimaro and Haku bring their instruments on. When they were done, they met up in the middle of the stage and had a last minute talk.

"Lets show 'em what we've got!" Suigetsu said, pumping his fists. The others nodded, then Yume decided to ask something that she had been curious about all night.

"Do you think Akatsuki will be here?"

Suigetsu shrugged.

"Who knows? We're only a small band so they probably won't, but..." He grabbed hold of Yume and ruffled her hair, only making her complain. "We've got you! So yeah, they could still come!"

Kimimaro added,

"And for that matter, we could have many other people in the audience we didn't expect."

Yume raised her eyebrow, as she readjusted her messed up pigtails.

"I thought it was only students from the academy allowed to watch?"

"It is, but that doesn't stop our headteacher phoning all his distant contacts, trying to get more publicity for the school."

"Yeah, you _did_ perform with Akatsuki. You're still quite big news, Yume." Haku said with a happy smile, glad about the thought of being seen and heard by so many people. Yume was thinking the opposite. She said,

"Okay, okay, lets just get this started before I change my mind."

"Right!" The other three said in unison. Haku and Kimimaro went and sat behind their instruments, Yume went over to the microphone, and Suigetsu ran off the stage, over to the announcer. He slapped the man on the back.

"Hey, Jirobo. We're ready so announce away!"

The large man turned around and grinned.

"You got it, kid. Heh, nice to see you're finally getting your big break."

Suigetsu grinned then ran back up onto stage and took hold of his guitar.

The four waited on stage, listening to the noises from the other side of the curtain. It seemed to die down and then a deep, booming voice called,

"This is who you've given your night up for! Make some noise for Silver Linings, with the new band member, Yume Chiles!"

There was an uproar from the other side of the curtain. Yume gulped. The large red curtains started to ascend, so Yume gripped hold of the microphone. Before the curtains had made it half way up, the cheers suddenly got louder, and Kimimaro counted in with his drumsticks, then all three boys came in at once. As the intro was being played Yume looked into the crowd, hardly seeing anything from under the lighting. It was loud, that's all she could say. She took a deep breathe then Yume started to sing,

_'Waiting, as I'm wanting to.  
Speaking as I'm spoken to.  
Changing to your point of view.  
Fading as I follow you._

The crowd were in an even louder uproar. They were hollering to the four on stage, egging them on._  
_

_A boyish notion of false emotion.  
These words are spoken, despite my love.  
A fool's devotion was set in motion.  
My eyes are open now._

_It's a glass cage so I can't pretend.  
You hide beneath the physical.  
I see it coming but I can't defend.  
You cut so deep, my belief is gone.  
My belief is gone.  
My belief is..._

_Tell me what I want to say.  
Save me for another day.  
Break me. It's the game you play.  
Hate me as I turn away._

_A boyish notion of false emotion.  
These words are spoken, despite my love.  
A fool's devotion was set in motion.  
My eyes are open now._

_It's a glass cage so I can't pretend.  
You hide beneath the physical.  
I see it coming but I can't defend.  
You cut so deep, my belief is gone.  
My belief is gone.  
My belief is gone.  
My belief is gone.  
My belief is...'_

The three boys went into their instrumentals, being as loud and as energetic as possible. Yume turned and looked at the concentration on their faces. She admired their spirit. Her old band had never been like this. Her old band had never really cared about anything to do with the band, always using practice time as an excuse to- Yume dragged herself from her thoughts, hearing her section coming up. She took hold of the microphone and sang,

_'It's a glass cage so I can't pretend.  
You hide beneath the physical.  
I see it coming but I can't defend.  
You cut so deep, my belief is gone.  
My belief is gone.  
My belief is gone.  
My belief is gone.  
My belief is...'_

As the boys finished the song off, Yume had chance to look out at the crowd again. The room was full to bursting. She didn't have time to think or worry because Suigetsu suddenly came up next to her and gave her a nudge, trying to get her to talk. She snapped back to reality and called to the crowd of screaming academy students,

"Hey guys! We're glad to be here tonight! You guys are pretty awesome. Okay, that first song you heard was 'Looking Glass' by the amazing 'The Birthday Massacre'. Want to hear another one?"

The crowd screamed again, and Yume tried to listen out for a group of familiar voices. She couldn't tell if they were there or not.

She turned her head and nodded to Kimimaro, who started up the drum beat to the next song.

oOo

Kisame walked down the corridor with his partner in crime. He grinned.

"So Amaya, how do you plan on getting in without getting caught by the school guards?"

Amaya smiled and poked the blue-skinned man in the back, saying,

"That's why I've got you."

He looked at her.

"What do you mean, you've got me?"

She stopped walking and said,

"Well because you're going to hide me under your jacket of course."

Kisame looked at his smart dress jacket and grinned.

"Sorry kid, as much as I'd love to, you'd never fit in here."

Amaya quickly produced a trench-coat.

"Yeah, but I'd fit in here."

Kisame burst out laughing.

"You don't expect me to actually wear that, do you?"

"...yes." She took a step towards him, a glint in her eye.

–

Kisame opened the door to the performance hall and shuffled inside, the blaring music getting even louder. He slid along the wall, trying his best not to draw attention to himself. He prayed no one would see the extra pair of feet under his coat. He walked to the back of the room and stopped, checking for any of the academy guards, then when he couldn't see any, he unbuttoned his coat. He looked down to see Amaya with her hands wrapped around his waist. She look up at him.

"We good?"

Kisame looked around again.

"Yeah, we're good."

"Great~!" She said in a chirpy voice, letting go of Kisame and stepping into the open. He gave her another grin, took off the trench coat and handed it to her, then said,

"Right, I've got to get back to the guys."

"Okay." Amaya did a double-take. "Akatsuki are here?"

"Ha, yeah of course, they wouldn't miss seeing Yume performing for anything." And with that he walked away. Amaya leaned back against the wall and looked at the stage where her friend was performing.

"Lucky bugger."

Amaya looked around when she saw someone walking her way. It was the guards. She recognised them anywhere. On instinct she ran forwards and dived into the crowd of screaming teenagers. They would never _dare_ look for her in the middle of a mosh-pit.

oOo

A long time later and Yume and the boys had performed a grand total of five songs, including 'The Writer'- which seemed to go down a hit. They were about to start their closing song.

Yume grinned and yelled,

"Hope you guys have had fun tonight, I know I have!"

There was a roar from the crowd. Yume looked about, then she spotted someone in the crowd, close to the front. She grinned at Amaya, who spotted her looking and screamed,

"Woo! Go Yume!" She turned to the boys next to her and screamed at them, "Ha! That's my best friend up there!"

They looked at her, then dived on her, yelling, "Wow! That's awesome!"

Yume gave a laugh that everyone heard, then called out,

"Okay people, last song for the night is-" There was a chorus of boos, "Hey! Come on! If you want to hear us again, just come to the next concert!"

After the crowd had settled down from the screaming again, Yume finally said, "Okay, so the last song we're doing tonight is 'Thinking of You' by good old Katy Perry!"

An eruption of happy screams came from a number of girls in the room. Yume smiled, then walked to the side of the stage, where she was handed a guitar and a high stool by Jirobo.

"Thank you." She whispered. He smiled and said,

"You're doing great."

She walked back to the centre of the stage and stopped. She placed the stool down, jumped slightly to sit on it, took hold of the guitar and took a breath. Then she started to sing, strumming on the strings of her guitar,

_'Comparisons are easily done  
Once you've had the taste of perfection  
Like an apple hanging from a tree  
I pick the ripest one, I still got the seed'_

Yume looked over to Kimimaro who started to gently hit the drums.

_'You said move on, where do I go?  
I guess second best is all I will know'_

Suigetsu and Haku came in on the electric guitar and the keyboard. They were both grinning with enthusiasm, letting themselves loose on their instruments. Even Kimimaro cracked a smile from the back of the stage, and Yume sang to her heart's content, swaying in time to the music from where she sat,

_'cause when I'm with him  
I am thinking of you  
Thinking of you  
What you would do if  
You were the one who was spending the night  
Oh I wish that I was looking into your eyes...  
Eyes..._

_Your like an Indian summer  
in the middle of winter  
like a hard candy with the surprise centre  
how do I get better once I've had the best?  
You said there's tons of fish in the water  
So the waters I will test_

_He kissed my lips  
I taste your mouth  
Oh, he put me in  
I was disgusted with myself_

_'cause when I'm with him  
I am thinking of you  
Thinking of you  
What you would do if  
You were the one who was spending the night  
Oh I wish that I was looking into your..._

_The best, and yes, I do regret  
How I've let myself let you go  
Now, now the lesson's learned  
I touched and I was burned  
Oh I think you should know..._

The crowd were swaying in time to the music, Amaya holding a lighter above her head, grinning all the while._  
_

_'cause when I'm with him  
I am thinking of you  
Thinking of you  
What you would do if  
Were the one who was spending the night  
Oh I wish that I was looking into your... _

_Your eyes...  
looking into your eyes  
looking into your eyes_

_Oh won't you walk through?  
And bust in the door and take me away?  
Oh, no more mistakes'  
cause in your eyes  
I'd like to stay...  
stay...'_

Yume stood up off the stool and bowed, looking into the crowd as they erupted into applause. She grinned. She rose to her full height again then turned and pointed to the other band members. They each gave a bow, then walked to the front of the stage. Haku and Kimimaro took hold of one of her hands each, and then all four of them took a bow together. The crowd seemed to get louder.

Yume listened to a few of the comments being called out, then stood up, smiled and walked off to the side of the stage with the other three.

The stage-crew were the first to greet and congratulate them. They patted them on the backs and shoulders as they went by. Yume giggled when Jirobo ruffled her hair. When they were behind the back of the stage, Yume only had time to turn on her heel before she was embraced in a hug by Haku, followed by Suigetsu and Kimimaro. She smiled and hugged them all back at once.

"Yume, that was awesome!" Haku yelled happily, having to call over the still-cheering crowd.

"I know! You guys were awesome!"

Suigetsu smirked. "Of course we were! It is _us_ after all!"

They all laughed and then broke the group-hug.

The four friends walked back along the corridor as they heard Jirobo call to the crowd outside,

"Anyone want to meet the band?" There were a lot of screams as a reply. "Great! You can meet them in the food hall in fifteen!"

Suigetsu raised his hands in the air and yelled at the top of his lungs,

"And _when_ did we agree to meet with people! I don't remember doing any such thing! If we had a manager right now I would be yelling at him!"

Kimimaro said, his hands over his ears,

"But we don't, so don't take it out on us!" When Suigetsu had stopped yelling Kimimaro continued, "We'll just have to go and see them for a while, it's a good thing anyway because we can try and grow our fan-base."

Suigetsu winked and nudged the white-haired boy in the ribs.

"Clever thinking."

Kimimaro rolled his eyes then turned to Yume and said,

"You don't mind, do you? You don't have anything to do tonight, do you?"

She laughed.

"Nope, I'm happy to stay and bear it with you guys."

Kimimaro nodded, then they continued walking down the corridors, heading in the direction of the food hall. They turned the last corner, then came face-to-face with a crowd of people – luckily just a crowd of crew members and staff from the school. The band walked up to them, and a few of the people turned. When they saw it was the band, they jumped to attention. People started moving around, others ran into the food hall to sort things out inside and a few stayed still, instructed to be bodyguards.

As they were being ushered into the hall, a tall blonde man walked up to the group and stopped them. They all looked at him curiously, and so he said abruptly,

"Do you have a manager?"

"No..." Haku said cautiously. The man continued, pulling a card from out of nowhere.

"My name is Minato Uzumaki and I'm from Kyuubi Corp. You may have heard of us?"

Three jaws hit the floor. Kimimaro, the only one who didn't seem shocked, took the card from him and said,

"Is this an invitation to take you as our manager then?"

The blonde man nodded with a smile.

"Yes, I was told you would be something to watch, and you definitely were. I was _very_ impressed by your performances and I think you can be very big. Maybe even rival some of the bigger if not the biggest bands in the charts now. What do you say?"

Kimimaro looked down at the card in his hand, then he said,

"Do you have a contract I can read over?"

"Yes, right here." The blonde man opened the silver briefcase he had with him and pulled a set of papers out. He handed them to Kimimaro, who took them, and then the blonde man came up next to him, pointing out important parts of the contract.

The other three only seemed to come out of shock when there was a chirpy call of,

"Yume! Yume~! YUME! YUME, YUME, YUME~! YUM-"

"Shut the fuck up, Tobi!"

"Augh! Don't hit Tobi! **Tobi didn't mean it**!"

The three looked down the corridor to see the unmistakable brown haired boy charging towards them with a scared look on his face. Hidan was chasing behind.

"Tobi!" Yume yelled in surprise, her eyes lighting up. She hadn't expected Akatsuki to be here. Tobi reached the group and took hold of her, picking her up and dropping her in between Hidan and himself. She laughed.

"Nice to see you too."

"Save Tobi!" He whimpered. Yume look up and saw Hidan heading her way. He forced himself to a halt just in front of her, and smirked.

"Hey, Blondie! Great show! Now if you don't mind, move so I can rip this faggot to pieces."

Tobi wrapped his arms around Yume's middle, as if to give himself some extra protection - this, however, only seemed to make Hidan angrier.

"Get the hell off her and fight like a man!"

"But Tobi doesn't want to fiiiiight!"

Hidan growled and went to grab Tobi from behind Yume, but someone came up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked round to see Itachi.

"What the fuck do you want?"

Itachi sighed.

"Don't kill him."

"I won't! I'll just... _nearly_ kill him..."

Itachi shrugged. He removed his hand. It seemed as though Tobi had been getting on everyone's nerves. Hidan literally pounced on Tobi, also jumping on Yume in the process. She let out a small scream and heard Hidan say quietly, "Shit!" But before she got his foot in her face, she was snatched from the huddle by a pair of arms around her waist. She looked up to see Deidara smirking.

"Deidara to the rescue again, yeah."

"Thank you." She said, relieved. Then she realised Deidara's arms were still wrapped around her, so she went on impulse and smacked them away, backing herself up to Haku and Suigetsu, who's jaws had dropped to the floor again. Deidara looked at her curiously. She tried her best to ignore his shocked expression and looked at her two band members, waving a hand in front of their faces, saying,

"You two in?"

Suigetsu snapped out of his daze and replied, scratching his head,

"Yeah, we just forgot you were friends with these guys."

"Huh? What do you mean-" Then she remembered just how famous Akatsuki really were.

_'And thank you Jashin for letting me know them personally!'_

_**'Woo! Go awesome Godly above-ness!'**_

Yume shook her head, laughing, then turned to the Akatsuki. She walked up to Sasori and said happily,

"So you guys watched the concert?"

He smiled and nodded, folding his arms across his chest.

"Of course." He added, "We could quite easily invest in you. We _were_ the ones who helped you in the first place, you remember?"

She laughed, her mind drifting off to that faithful day.

"How could I forget?" She'd performed on stage with her idols for one thing! She added quickly, seeing Sasori's smile grow slightly, "But if you're planning on trying to contract us, I'd have to be quick. That guy's already offered, and he's from Kyuubi Corp." She said, pointing to the blonde man stood with Kimimaro. Sasori raised his eyebrow, his stance slackening slightly.

"I was joking about the investment thing but... Kyuubi Corp... Are you sure?" Instead of being happy for her, he sighed. Yume tilted her head curiously,

"What is it?"

Sasori saw Yume's slightly hurt expression so said,

"Well this might cause a problem with-"

"Boy! Get away from that contractor _now_!"

Yume looked past Sasori, down the corridor to see a dust-cloud heading their way. Sasori didn't say anything, he just grabbed Yume by the arm and pulled her to the side. Haku and Suigetsu saw this and moved to the side as well. The giant dust-cloud came soaring past them, nearly knocking Yume off her feet; if it hadn't been for Sasori holding her. The dust cloud seemed to be screaming random abuse as it headed towards Kimimaro and the blonde man, though the pair seemed to be unphased by it all.

The dust cloud stopped and it slowly disappeared, revealing a seething brown-skinned man with pound-signs for eyes. Hidan pointed an accusative finger at the figure.

"Kakuzu! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

The man ignored his room-mate and continued to walk towards the two males in front.

Yume looked to Sasori with her eyebrows raised.

"Want to explain?"

"Sure." Sasori said, watching the people talking in the near distance. "Kakuzu's our financial adviser, and he collects all the money we make and splits it with the school."

Yume nodded. "I know that but..."

"Oh, that?" He said, pointing to Kakuzu screaming and yelling at Minato. "He was planning on getting you to have a contract with him. For profits of course."

"Oohhhh..."

Yume rolled her eyes. She had no doubt that was what Kakuzu had intended, remembering how she had had to give him money just so that he would keep quiet about when she read Hidan's diary. Speaking of which...

Yume looked in Hidan's direction, seeing him yelling at Kakuzu to leave the man alone... which was strange for him, she had to admit.

"Hey, Hidan?"

He stopped shouting immediately and looked over at her. "Yeah?"

She laughed.

"Leave them alone."

"Hell no! Kakuzu _can't_ contract you!"

"Why not-" Yume realised she was shouting across the hall to him, so she ran over and continued. "Why don't you want him to contract us?"

"Because he'll just steal money from you! And he's a cruel bastard! Just don't let him! Go with the pro!"

Just then Kimimaro and Minato turned. Hidan muttered,

"I guess you've already decided then..."

Kakuzu was on his hands and knees, begging and grovelling at Kimimaro's feet.

"Come on, boy! I could give you big money! Look at Akatsuki! They're with me! They're world-famous!"

Itachi walked over and butted in. He talked to Kimimaro.

"Kakuzu's our financial adviser, but our manager is called Pein. Kakuzu has no input into how well we've done."

Kakuzu turned, his eyes ablaze.

"You..."

"Kakuzu-sama! Please calm down! Everything will be okay! I brought you your thousand-pound-note collection!"

Everyone looked down the corridor to see a brown-haired girl running with a clipboard and a suitcase. Yume recognised her as Kakuzu's overly-enthusiastic intern.

Kakuzu looked away from Itachi – who he was planning on murdering in his sleep – and to his intern. He rose to his feet and ran at her, snatching the briefcase from her as fast as possible.

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO BRING THIS OUT OF ITS HIDING PLACE!"

"But Kakuzu-sama, I was trying to cheer you up!" She said, still in her ever-happy spirit. His shoulders hunched, he leant over and put his hand on top of the girl's head, turning her around to face the way she'd come from. He handed her the thousand-pound-note-filled briefcase, then gave her a kick in the back, sending her flying across the floor.

Yume watched as she went soaring past, then turned her attention back to Kimimaro with the contractors. She leaned over and whispered to Hidan,

"Well that was weird..."

"Tell me about it. She waits outside our room every morning before we wake up."

Yume giggled, catching Hidan's attention for a second. He smiled at her, then look back at his room-mate. Kakuzu was making his final attempt, giving up after only ten minutes. Maybe he didn't think they'd make it big?

"Boy, I can make you big. And I can keep away the competition."

Kimimaro's eyebrow raised slightly.

"What competition is that?"

Kakuzu smirked. His eyes wandered over to Yume, then back to the white-haired boy. Kimimaro understood, and yet, he didn't seem to care. He was quite confident that he would be able to attract Yume without the help of a scheming businessman, though he wasn't totally sure quite how many people had their eyes on her. He knew it wasn't just him.

Kimimaro turned to the blonde man, Minato, and took hold of the contract papers. He'd read over them enough times to know what was going on, so he asked for a pen and signed his name. He looked over to his other band members and called them over.

Yume looked to Hidan, then waved goodbye and walked over to Kimimaro. He handed her the papers and said,

"Sign there."

"B-but what does the contract say?"

"Nothing that you really need to worry about. They make us well known, advertise us, they publish one album, and depending on how well we do and it does, they continue to support us."

Yume stared wide-eyed. Suigetsu took the contract from her and said with a laugh,

"No pressure then."

He signed his name. They passed the papers round, and then handed it back to Minato. It was only then that Yume realised who this man was. She knew she'd seen him before.

"You! You're Naruto's father, aren't you?"

He looked at her, then smiled.

"Yes I am. How do you know my son?"

"Oh, we go to school together, he's in a lot of my classes."

The man smiled.

"You must be the girl from Konoha Chibi Parade then, am I right?"

"Yeah, that's me!" She said, smiling, "It was sort of a failed band... we only did one concert and they never turned up."

"I heard. Naruto went to that concert."

Yume smiled, earning a ruffled hair from Kimimaro.

"Our little star gets around."

She swiped his hand away then stuck her tongue out, making him chuckle. Minato looked over the four signatures then smiled and tucked the contract away. He clapped and rubbed his hands together.

"Okay, I'm glad to see I have all of you on board. Now, a couple of things I need to say." The four looked at him curiously. "Firstly, your band name at the moment... If I'm totally honest, it's just not up to scratch. 'Silver Linings' just doesn't have any_ pizazz _to it."

Suigetsu crossed his arms defensively.

"And what do you suggest then?"

"Hey, I'm not trying to put you down, I'm just trying to help." When Suigetsu sighed in defeat, Minato continued, "Well then, Yume, my first idea is we use your old band name."

"Really?" She said with surprise. "You think it's a good name?"

Minato nodded.

"It's fun, catchy and since it has the city in its name, it will gain a large local fan-base."

Haku chirped in,

"Yeah! I loved your old band name! I was really upset with Suigetsu and Kimimaro when they went and saw you live without me- and then it got even worse because then you got to perform with Akatsuki of all people!"

"Aww." Yume chirped sympathetically, "I'll sing to you without the other two being there sometime. How's that?"

Suigetsu butted in, nudging Haku in the ribs.

"Ooh, a-_lone _time with Yume. Lucky you." He gave Yume a wink. She turned red in the face, walked towards him and then started to hit him as hard as she could over the head, saying in between blows,

"That-is-not-what-I-meant!"

Minato started, "Uhh, you two-"

"Get off me!" Suigetsu yelled. With one hand shielding his face, he used to the other to swipe around, trying to catch hold of Yume's wrists. He caught hold of one, laughed menacingly, screamed like a little girl when Yume hit him with her free hand, then grabbed hold of it and twisted them so that Yume span round and ended up with her back hitting into Suigetsu, her arms pinned in between the pair of them. Suigetsu started the chuckle darkly. He took hold of both of her wrists in one of his and then proceeded to remove one of the bobbles from her hair. She yelped.

"Leave my hair alone, you pervert!"

Suigetsu laughed.

"Who are you calling a pervert?"

Yume smiled sweetly.

"You of course... pervert."

"Right! That's it!" Suigetsu pulled the bobble from the left side of her hair. As her hair fell all around her face she gave another yelp of distress – not going unnoticed by the Akatsuki boys in the hall – then she turned on her heel, pulling her hands free from Suigetsu's grip. He grinned and held the hair-tie up in air, out of her reach. She scowled at him and tried jumping for it, but since she was only 5'3" and Suigetsu was about 5' 9" and his hand was above his head, she had no chance.

"Ahem."

The two turned as Yume was in the process of another attempt at getting her bobble. Suigetsu pushed her back down to the floor and held her there with one hand atop her head. They both looked at Minato and laughed.

"Sorry. Go on." Yume said happily, snatching the bobble from Suigetsu's grip when he wasn't prepared.

"Do you want to use your old band name?"

"Oh..." She thought over the idea for a second. "Won't the old band members be able to sue if we use Konoha Chibi Parade?"

"No," Minato shook his head. "Because they were never a real working band. Yume, you were the only one who performed under that name, so you are the only one with the rights to say who can use it."

"Oh!" Yume said happily. "That's great!"

She turned to look at the boys in the band, nearly falling into Suigetsu's stomach so she pushed him backwards, and asked,

"Do you mind if we change the name then?"

"Not at all." Said Kimimaro. He pointed to his friend. "It was Suigetsu who chose our old band name anyway."

Suigetsu glance at his so called _friend, _and muttered,

"Thanks..."

So eventually they all agreed to change the name of the band, and then Minato said,

"The last thing I need to say is you'll need to have at least three two-hour band rehearsals a week."

There was a chorus of "Whaaaaa-?" - a few of which came from people not even in the band. Two guesses who.

Minato laughed and shook his head.

"Kids... ..- right well it's not that bad. Just tell me which days are best for you and I'll get you time off school, or if you don't want to miss lessons, you can have them over the weekend. Either a full day Saturday, or four hours Saturday, two on Sunda-"

"We'll do it in the week!" Suigetsu and Yume yelled at the same time. Neither wanted to miss their weekends. It was the only time they got away from lessons- though Suigetsu stayed in the boarding school so he was never truly away until he was outside of the grounds.

"I can do any days." Yume said, thinking over her school week. There was nothing she particularly hated in school, and there were no tests coming up yet so she was free all week.

"I can't do Thursday mornings." Haku said, raising his hand. "I have violin practice."

Suigetsu rolled his eyes. "Can't you skip it?"

"No. I have my grade eight exam coming up soon!" He said, scared Suigetsu would make him cancel it. Kimimaro walked up behind him and put a reassuring hand on Haku's shoulder.

"It's okay, Haku, we'll just have a rehearsal when Suigetsu has swimming."

"Hey! Leave my water-time alone! Unless you want me to get us a rehearsal when you have biology."

Kimimaro glared. "You wouldn't dare."

"Oh, on the contrary my dear friend, I _would_!" Suigetsu said with an evil smirk. He turned to Minato and said, "Okay, we can have a rehearsal from one pm on a Tuesday, and nine-thirty on a Friday."

Minato went to jot it down, but Kimimaro put his fingers around the top of the pen.

"Make that eleven am on a Monday... and maybe last thing on a Tuesday."

Suigetsu gasped. "You stay away from my water-aerobic- I mean-" Yume and Haku burst out laughing. "No! My kick boxing! I said _kick boxing_!"

Minato looked between the two squabbling friends, then turned to Haku and Yume.

"You know what, we can talk about this another time. I think you'll have to go and meet the fans about now."

"Right!" They said. Kimimaro and Suigetsu didn't seem to hear him so Haku grabbed Suigetsu's arm, and Yume grabbed Kimimaro's, then they pulled them away towards the door to the food hall. Minato followed. Yume stopped just before she was about to go through the door and turned around. She called down the corridor,

"Guys! I'll see you later, okay?" She waved goodbye, then dragged Kimimaro in the room with her.

The Akatsuki boys stood there, watching as the door swung shut. Deidara stood with his mouth hanging open.

"...She almost forgot about us, yeah..."

Suddenly he looked round, hearing a loud cry. A few meters away from him, Tobi had dropped to his knees, sobbing. He looked up and started to sing loudly,

"LONELY! I'M MISTER LONELY! I HAVE NOBODY... FOR MY OOO-OOOWN!"

Deidara was about to walk over and attack the boy, but Hidan beat him to it. Poor Tobi didn't know what hit him... or to be more precise, what kicked him so hard in the face his head was sent flying into the floor. Hidan stood over him, his fist raised, his eyes closed and a large vein on his forehead.

"Shut the fuck up, Tobi. This is _not_ the time for your crazy-ass insanity!"

Tobi said, his eyes full of tears as he pulled himself up off the floor,

"Whyyyyyyyy?"

"Because!" He snapped. Tobi recoiled, backing up into Itachi and knocking him over. Tobi looked down.

"Thanks for breaking Tobi's fall!"

Itachi grumbled to himself then rose to his feet. He brushed himself off, then said to Tobi,

"Hidan's mad because I think he's finally realised Yume won't be able to spend as much time with us any more."

Tobi gasped. "What! Why not? Tobi likes Yume! Yume is Tobi's friend -Why can't Yume see Tobi as much!" Tobi dropped to his knees again, "WHAT HAS TOBI DONE TO DESERVE THIS?"

It was Deidara's turn. He walked up behind Tobi and smacked him upside the head.

"Just shut up, yeah!" Deidara walked over to Hidan, suddenly realising something. He whispered, "It's not just that she's going to be away from us more... she's going to be with that Kimimaro kid a _lot_ more, yeah."

"What about him?"

"He likes Yume, yeah."

The other members of Akatsuki had to shield their ears when Hidan gave his loud and very colourful reply. Once he was done screaming bloody murder, he took a few very-needed breaths, then asked,

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I heard it off some of the boys in dorm this morning."

"Fuck this _**shit**_! I knew her first! I met her even before you lot did! Ugh!" Hidan stormed off down the hall. Sasori asked as he strode on by,

"Where are you going?"

"I'm getting my scythe!"

Sasori took it upon himself and grabbed hold of the back of Hidan's shirt.

"We have a concert in five weeks, you're not getting put in prison for murder before then."

Hidan stopped trying to pull away. "What about after?"

"Sure, knock yourself out-"

"No, Hidan." Itachi interjected. Unlike Sasori, he knew Hidan wasn't joking about the murder thing. Hidan growled.

"You guys ruin my life!"

Deidara stood down the corridor and rolled his eyes.

"Idiot, yeah..." He looked behind him when he heard a noise. Fans. As quick as a flash he ran forward, straight past the others and up the corridor.

"Where the fuck are you off to?"

"Joining the queue to see the band, yeah!"

Hidan's eyes lit up.

"Good plan!"

_'How the hell did he come up with it before me?'_

And with that, Hidan ran after Deidara and then they searched for the end of the queue that was ever growing. Tobi decided to join them soon after, and then Sasori and Itachi walked along together, discussing events that were soon to come. They already knew it. They were at war with Konoha Chibi Parade for a certain blonde's affections.

oOo

Yume waved goodbye to the group of girls that had just been in the room with them, and then when the door had closed, she sagged. She walked over to the bench and took a sip from a water bottle.

"This is hard work. My arm's dead."

"Heh, wimp. It's only a few autographs, quit complaining." Suigetsu smirked. Yume threw the water bottle at him.

The door opened again so Yume put on her happy face, but then it faltered when she saw who walked in.

"Amaya! How did you get in? I though you were banned!"

"Oh, THANKS! I run in under a trench-coat just to see you and _this_ is how you say thanks? FINE!" Amaya went to walk back out of the door, but then did a double take. She looked across the room to the man with blonde hair. Her eyebrows raised. She ran over to Yume, took her by the hands and dragged her away from the others, then said in an excited whisper,

"Is that who I think it is?"

"Uhh... Naruto's dad?"

"WHAT?" Amaya screeched. The others all looked at her with shocked expressions. She ignored them completely. "Naruto's dad is the head of Kyuubi Corp? WHY HAS HE NEVER TOLD US?"

"Because I swear my son to secrecy."

Amaya jumped a foot in the air. She turned round and pointed an accusative finger at Minato.

"Don't sneak up on people you crazy man- oh shit, I mean.. uhh... please don't do that lord almightiness!"

Minato smiled. "I guess you like our music then?"

"Do I _EVER_!" She said, jumping around happily. She stopped squeeing suddenly, narrowing her eyes, "Hold on, why are you here?"

"I'm their new band manager." He said, pointing over his shoulder to the boys. Amaya turned to Yume.

"You're signed with Kyuubi Corp? AAHH! THIS IS AWESOME!" She said, launching herself onto her friend in a hug. Yume just in so kept her balance, then tried to pry Amaya off her. Amaya on the other hand, continued by yelling, "You're gonna get SO famous! I'm so happy for you! I can't wait! My evil plan is finally going to come true-" Amaya's eyes widened. "Uhh... I didn't say that. IGNORE ME!"

Yume laughed, throwing Amaya off her.

"Try not to tell the whole world about us yet, okay?" She said, watching Amaya nod her head rapidly. She looked over her shoulder, "Hey, want to be helpful? Get the next group of people in, will you?"

Amaya's face dropped,

"No way, woman! Don't I get a turn to meet you guys?"

"Amaya, you can see us whenever you like. For one thing, you _live_ with me."

Amaya grumbled to herself as she walked over to the door. She opened it and stuck her head out,

"NEXT! Get your asses in here..." There was a pause, then, "Ooh! It's you guys! I haven't seen you in weeks!" Amaya left the room, only to come back in holding onto Tobi, who was hugging her in his very happy manner. The rest of Akatsuki filed into the room after them.

Yume smiled.

"Hi again, guys!" She said, waving to them. Deidara and Tobi (and Amaya), walked over to her, while the others went to talk to the other band members. Hidan was on strict instructions not to attack Kimimaro.

"Didn't get to say it before, but that concert was awesome, yeah! You're going to be a star in no time!"

Yume laughed. "Well I hope so. I need the money if I'm going to keep housing Amaya."

"HEY!"

Yume laughed even louder. Deidara grinned at her. Amaya glared.

Itachi was stood with Haku, being a good sport and getting the boy's autograph. As soon as Haku had handed the paper over, he asked,

"So have you got any new songs coming out?"

Itachi nodded.

"Yes, we've got a new album coming out in a couple of months. It's supposed to be a secret though, so don't go telling everyone."

"Oh! Right! Yes sir!"

Suddenly Haku lurched forward, as Amaya – with her bat-like hearing – pounced on him, yelling,

"We've already got the album! Screw you!" Then she started yelling/singing, "I'm standing all alone, there's no body home. Why have you left me here all by my se~elf-"

"Try not to tell them _every _new song we've done, Amaya." Itachi said, hanging his head. Haku gasped, staring wide-eyed at Amaya,

"Was that a new song? How did you get the album?"

Amaya laughed, pointing to Yume – who was currently laughing at Tobi and Deidara – and said,

"She got it as a gift!"

Haku gasped in amazement.

"She's too lucky..."

"Lucky?" She shrugged, "...ha, I guess you could say that..."

"What?"

Amaya slapped him on the back, sending him soaring into Itachi.

"Doesn't matter."

Eventually the Akatsuki members left, saying they'd have to have a catch-up with Yume some time.

The band and Amaya – who was acting as Yume's bodyguard so as not to get thrown out, because technically she was still banned from the school grounds – stayed for another hour or so, talking to the many hoards of teenagers that wanted to meet them, then when it was all over, they decided to part ways.

Yume helped the boys pack up their things, then she turned to Amaya and said,

"So any plans on how to get home?"

Amaya pulled out her phone.

"I could call Kisame-"

"No! Never! He might be your friend but he _can't_ drive!"

Amaya laughed. "Yeah you're right. Maybe we could walk?"

"Twelve miles?"

"Yeeaahhh... maybe not."

Just then Minato walked over, carrying his briefcase.

"If you two need a lift, I could drop you off."

The two girls turned to look at him.

"Yes please!" They screamed in unison. Any lift would have been appreciated, but from the head of the biggest music company ever, and Yume's new manager? It was the girls' lucky day.

Once everything was packed up, the boys walked with Yume and Amaya to the awaiting car. Amaya waved to the guys then got in the car. Yume walked up to Haku and gave him a hug. He hugged her back and said,

"We'll see you in a couple of days then!"

"Yeah! Band practice!"

They let go of each other, then Yume ran at Suigetsu and jumped, catching him round the neck. He grabbed her around the waist and span her round. He put her down and she walked dizzily to Kimimaro. She basically fell into his arms. She looked at Suigetsu.

"Don't spin me so hard!"

"You're the one that jumped!"

Yume giggled, then wrapped her arms around Kimimaro's stomach in a teddy-bear hug. He patted her on the head, ruffling her hair out of their pigtails.

Everyone on the ground was oblivious to the pair of eyes staring out of the window a few stories above them.

"Sasori! He's hugging her, yeah!" Deidara whined. He turned his attention from the window for a split second to see his room-mate's reaction. Sasori looked bored, his reading glasses on as he scanned over the newspaper in his hands. He was ignoring Deidara.

The blonde kept his attention to the people outside, but he reached over and picked up a pillow, then threw it over his shoulder. He smirked when he heard an 'umph' from the boy behind him. Direct hit.

Deidara sighed, looking at the blonde girl on the ground. She _still_ had her arms wrapped around the Kimimaro boy. It was obviously going to be a lot harder to keep Yume's attention now there was someone else in the equation. It had been fine when it had just been Hidan and himself. He knew just what to do to make Hidan look like a fool, but this new boy was unknown. The only things Deidara knew about him were that he was a great drummer and came from a very rich, but very tragic background, and there was no way he was going to try and play that to his advantage because knowing Yume's soft heart, Kimimaro would end up getting the sympathy vote too. Maybe if he had his own tragic incident...

"Sasori! Stab me, yeah!" He said, turning and spreading his arms wide to give Sasori a clear shot. The red-head looked up from the newspaper, seemingly amused.

"As much as I would love to, I don't think that's the best way of getting Yume's attention."

"Who says it has anything to do with her?" He said, crossing his arms over his chest. Sasori smirked and rolled up the newspaper.

"Well I don't think you have random masochistic tendencies so my next bet is to get Yume's attention."

Deidara muttered under his breath,

"God damn big-head, yeah. Thinks he knows everythin-"

"She's leaving."

Deidara snapped out of his thoughts, and turned round, almost pressing his nose to the window. Sure enough, Yume was getting into the Aston Martin, the three boys waving to her. Deidara gave her a hopeless wave from the window, then watched as the door closed and the car drove away, back towards the main road.

He sighed and turned from the window. With his hands behind his head, Deidara walked over to his bed and lay down on it, looking up at the ceiling. Sasori, who had unrolled the newspaper again and was busy doing a crossword, said,

"Why don't you just tell her?"

Deidara looked over to him, startled.

"W-what, yeah?"

"Girls are always more attracted to a man who can come out and say they like them in person. It shows they're not a coward."

"But-" Deidara rolled over so he was looking at Sasori. "Don't you think it might be a bit soon, yeah? You said she had a traumatic past over boyfriends, and Amaya said to stay away."

Sasori chuckled at the last remark.

"Well it's up to you, Deidara. Though if you leave it too long, no doubt Kimimaro will take his chance. Hidan will eventually do the same, since I don't think he'll be listening to the wise words of Yume's friend any time soon. Have you seen the pictures she posted of him on the internet?"

Deidara suddenly perked up.

"No! You have to show me them, yeah!"

Sasori rolled the newspaper up.

"Okay, pass me my laptop then."

Deidara scrambled up out of bed, over to one of the desks. He picked up the laptop and carried it over to Sasori. He gave it to him, and as the red-head loaded up the computer, Deidara sat back on his bed, eager to see whatever humiliation Amaya had bestowed on Hidan.

A few minutes later and Sasori turned the laptop round so Deidara could see.

His face lit up. He took the laptop from Sasori and rested it on in his lap. The picture on the screen was of Hidan wearing a frilly pink dress, his silver hair up in bunches and he was resting over the top of Kisame's shoulders.

Deidara grinned. He looked over to Sasori and said,

"So this is on the internet?"

He nodded.

"Yeah, twenty-thousand hits so far."

Deidara beamed. Sasori got up and sat on Deidara's bed next to him. He took the laptop off of the blonde, then clicked onto the internet. As he was doing so, he said,

"That one was saved to my computer. I'll show you the rest of them."

Deidara's eyes lit up. He looked like a little child in a sweet-shop.

"There's more, yeah?"

Sasori smirked.

"Lots. There are a few where Kisame is pinning him to the floor to get the pictures taken too."

Deidara was having the best time of his life. Period.

So for the next half an hour, Deidara and Sasori sat in front of the screen, looking and laughing at the many _many_ humiliating pictures of their fellow band member. At least it cheered Deidara up. After that, they decided to head off to sleep. Although tomorrow was Sunday – supposedly the day of rest – they had important plans.

* * *

_And that was chapter 13~! Hope you liked it; I worked hard to get this out ASAP. Poor Deidara and Hidan! More competition..._

_Deidara:__ Oh... what a shame, yeah._

_Me:__ (hits Deidara over the head with a frying-pan) BE QUIET! If you don't be nice, I'll pair you up with Kakuzu in the story - __**Then**__ you'll have something to complain about! (turns to readers) Hope you enjoyed!  
_

_X-Deidara's Lover-X_


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Naruto, they belong to Masashi Kishimoto

Claimer: Yume, Amaya and anyone not found in Naruto belong to me.

* * *

Chapter 14

It was midday, Sunday. The sun was high in the sky and people were all around, laughing and playing. Everyone was happy... especially the person inside of the limousine that had just pulled up at the bottom of Yume's street.

The door to the limo opened and the male stepped out, taking a triumphant sigh. He cracked his neck then said in an eager voice,

"Today's the day! I'm gonna' tell you how much I fucking love you, Yume!"

His maroon eyes seemed to sparkle. Even for Hidan, the lead vocalist of Akatsuki, today was a good day.

He closed the door to the limousine with his foot, stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and started walking. For once in his life, Hidan felt as thought nothing could go wrong. He had been awake the entirety of the night before, discussing with his diary- and when his room mate had read over his shoulder -Kakuzu what he should do. Kakuzu had reasoned that there were two other guys who had their eyes on Yume, and no doubt one would confess to her eventually. All Hidan had to do was get there before them.

He smiled to himself. He knew he had the upper-hand any way. He _was_ the first person to meet Yume, and he was definitely the first of the three males to kiss her… maybe even the first guy to kiss her, period.

Hidan was jerked from his thoughts when he heard something flying towards him. He looked across the street to see a Frisbee hurtling towards his head. In a split second his hand had left his trouser pocket and was in the air, holding a tight grip onto the piece of plastic. He looked at the blue object in his hand, then smirked and tossed it back the way it came. A small boy called out,

"Thanks, mister!"

Hidan gave a short wave and continued walking. Oh today was definitely a good day.

That was true… until…

Hidan's gaze fell to a figure stood a short distance away, pacing up and down slightly. The figure was stood in front of Yume's house. That was never a good sign. Hidan squinted, trying to distinguish the character in his way. When he realised who it was, his jaw almost hit the floor.

"You have to be joking!" He muttered to himself, sighing angrily.

Poor Hidan. So close.

Hidan marched his way down the street, his eyes locked on the character a short distance away. When he knew he was within hearing range of the person, he called loudly,

"Oi! Deidara! What the fucking hell do you think you're doing?"

The blonde boy looked up from the ground and stopped pacing. When he realized who it was his jaw tightened. He called back,

"I could ask you the same thing, yeah!"

Hidan stormed up to him and gave him a shove.

"If you're here to talk to Yume, you're wasting your time."

"Let me guess, because you're going to have a casual chat with her first, hmm? Yeah, very likely!" Deidara snapped, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Hidan glared at him. Oh if only looks could kill... Hidan backed up. He sighed angrily, running his hands through his hair.

"But why the fuck today?"

"Why does it matter?" Deidara glared. Hidan stroked his chin.

"It's just awfully suspicious that you would pick today of all days to visit."

"I was thinking the same about you, yeah."

Hidan blinked. "W-what?"

"Kakuzu told me to see Yume today, or else someone else would get in there first, yeah."

Hidan did a double take. He muttered under his breath,

"That two-faced scheming son of a-"

"What?" Deidara said, trying to catch Hidan's words. He looked up at the blonde and sighed gruffly.

"Kakuzu told me to see her today as well."

Deidara took a step back, then composed himself.

"That bastard, yeah! He made me pay him for his 'great advise', yeah."

Hidan smirked suddenly. At least something good had come out of it all then. When he was done secretly laughing at Deidara's misfortune, he threw the subject back on course.

"So about seeing Yume...I told you I saw her first, pretty-boy, and so she's mine for the taking." He smirked. "It's only fair."

Deidara flared up.

"She's not just something you can own, dick-head, yeah!" It was Deidara's turn to smirk. "Itachi told you not to think of her like that."

"Oh so what! You're going to rat me out to Itachi?" He shoved Deidara again. "Be a man and fight your own battles!"

"Shut the hell up and stop changing the subject, yeah!"

"Or what?" Hidan yelled. Deidara didn't reply, instead he charged at Hidan and dived on him, sending the pair crashing to the floor. He managed to get his hands around the silver-haired boy's neck and started banging his head against the pavement.

"Leave-us-alone-you-freakin'-psycho-yeah!"

Hidan lunged up and shoved Deidara off him, then jumped after him and grabbed hold of the blonde-boy's arm and twisted. Deidara let out a yell. Hidan used his other hand to press Deidara's head into the floor.

"There's no 'us' about it when it comes to Yume and you. Sorry to tell you this but Yume ain't no lesbian."

Deidara kicked his foot up, sending Hidan flying into Yume's garden wall. He sat up and growled.

"I'm not a woman! Take that back!"

Hidan picked himself up and growled back.

"Never!"

The two ran at each other again.

Just down the road a third character appeared, walking along with an air of content around him. He could see the two men arguing just along the street and sighed, knowing he had to walk in the same direction. He watched the two band members fighting with each other and continued walking, growing ever closer. He could hear their voices now, yelling random insults at each other- some of which that just didn't make sense. Every moment he drew closer, the more he knew it was a bad idea. He would only get caught up in it all.

He was but a few meters away from the scene now, and he was picking his best way to get past them. Neither had seemed to notice him yet, and he was thankful, but if he got any closer he knew he wouldn't be able to avoid some conflict. He took a deep breath and walked forward.

The two males were glaring at each other, breathing heavily, catching their breath again. They were both roughed up a bit. Hair out of place, dirt on their clothes, the usual symptoms of a fight.

Hidan was closest to Yume's house so when he heard the garden gate open behind him he was the one who turned round and planted a hand on the person's shoulder.

"Where do you think you're going, Kimimaro?"

The boy turned round and looked at Hidan. He said with a bored tone,

"I'm flattered people of your standard know my name. How are you today, Hidan?"

Hidan glared. Both rivals on the same day? This was just unfair.

"Don't play dumb with me. Why are you here?"

The white-haired boy replied,

"Am I not allowed to see one of my band-members when I want?"

Hidan tightened his grip on Kimimaro's shoulder, his temper starting to boil. Deidara recognized the signs and intervened, pulling Hidan's hand away from the other male, but he never left it at that.

"Don't push it, yeah. Why are you _really_ here?"

Kimimaro said plainly,

"To see Yume."

Well he wasn't exactly lying. Deidara's eye twitched. Stupid stuck up-

"Hey! Kimimaro!"

The three boys turned their heads, looking down the street. Hidan suddenly felt like he wanted to cry. There were _more_ of them!

Haku and Suigetsu walked up, carrying folders and shoulder-bags, and looking generally happy. Haku stopped first and turned to look at Kimimaro.

"We tried round at your house first but you weren't in. We're going over some lyrics and melodies with Yume."

The two members of Akatsuki looked down at the effeminate male and stared. When he realised they were looking at him, he jumped, then bowed.

"Ah! Sorry, how rude. It's nice to see you again, Hidan, Deidara."

They looked at him and laughed it off nervously. Weirdly polite kid...

Hidan looked back at Kimimaro, who smirked at him.

"I told you I was here to see Yume."

Hidan suppressed the growl in his throat, that is, until Haku turned to Kimimaro and asked curiously,

"But Kimi, how did you know we were coming to Yume's? We only decided about half an hour ago-"

Haku shut his mouth. The look that Kimimaro gave him made him take a step back in fright. When the white-haired boy turned back to Hidan, he saw the smirk plastered across his face.

"Yeah _Kimi_, how did you know? Unless you were already coming here for something else..."

Hidan grinned. He knew exactly why Kimimaro had come, it was the same reason Deidara had come, the same reason he had come. And probably the same work of Hidan's back-stabbing room mate. Oh how Kakuzu was going to die...  
Either way, he was going to have fun torturing Kimimaro until he cracked and confessed his real reason for coming-

"I came here to tell Yume I like her." Kimimaro said, turning to Suigetsu. His blue-haired friend grinned and grabbed hold of him, trying to give him the O-so-familiar messing up of the hair in a nuggy.

"Good on you, Kimi! I was wondering how long it would take you to 'fess up!"

Hidan's eye twitched. Nothing was going right for him today.

Just as he was about to _kill_ Kimimaro and Suigetsu -so far Haku was still on his good side- he heard the familiar sound of three sets of footsteps coming up behind him.

"There you two are. We were wondering where you'd gotten to." Said the red-headed member of Akatsuki, coming up behind them and placing his hand on Deidara's shoulder. Deidara looked behind him and almost rolled his eyes. Now they were here, there was no way he and Hidan would be able to beat Kimimaro to a bloody little-

"We thought we told you two to stop fighting in front of Yume?" Said Itachi coldly, hating to be ignored. Hidan turned round and raised his hands in defence.

"We're not fighting in front of her."

Itachi looked to his right, staring at the house. Yume's house. He looked back at Hidan. "Close enough."

Hidan sweat-dropped. He took a step towards Itachi and then tried to change the subject,

"Anyway, why are you guys here?"

Tobi, who had been quiet from the beginning -never a good sign- suddenly jumped up into the air and started dancing around, spinning in circles and hugging anyone he could get his hands on...poor Haku. He yelled,

"We're going to go out with Yum-" Sasori took hold of Tobi by the back of his shirt and clamped a hand over his mouth. The muffled boy made some attempts at a protest, but eventually gave in and decided to hum to himself rather loudly. The others ignored him, and everyone looked to Sasori for answers. He shrugged.

"It's like he said, we came to spend the day with Yume. We haven't seen her properly in over two weeks thanks to the concert so we're taking her out for the day."

Deidara and Hidan's eyes lit up.

"Really, yeah?"

"Fuck yeah! Let's go!"

He turned and went to walk into Yume's front garden, but Kimimaro stopped him. The silver-haired boy looked at the white-haired boy and glared, a sudden glint manifesting in his eyes. He said in a low tone,

"Stay the fuck away from Yume if you know what's best for you."

Deidara, who was stood behind him with almost the same look in his eye, nodded in agreement. He was starting to have enough of this.

Suigetsu caught wind of what they said and automatically went into his 'defend-the-best-friend' mode.

"When do you get off being all high and mighty?"

Deidara snapped,

"Stay out of it."

"Or what! You think I'm scared of you just because you're in a famous band? I could take you on any day."

Deidara went to lunge at him but Sasori caught the back of the blonde's shirt. He warned,

"Don't Deidara."

Deidara sighed and tossed Sasori off. He looked back at the three boys in front. Hidan was still seething, but he decided to just flip them off. He stood up to his fullest height and said dismissively,

"And what makes you think she'd actually want to hang around with you guys anyway?"

Kimimaro replied bitterly, but with an air of smugness,

"Well she seems to have been enjoying herself for the past two weeks..." He turned to Suigetsu, having a mock conversation. "Come to think of it, she's been happier these past two weeks- oh wait, that's because you-" He turned to glare at Hidan. "-Weren't there."

"Why you little mother fuc-"

"Hidan, mind your language, there are small kids around." Said Sasori hastily, watching the mother and her two children walking on the other side of the street. Hidan glanced at them for a second, rolled his eyes and turned back to Kimimaro. Unfortunately the white-haired boy only managed to make Hidan worse, saying,

"You know- and don't try to deny it -that Yume spends far more time with us-"

Suigetsu decided to interrupt.

"So if you ask me, Yume is fair game. In fact, she's probably better than fair game, I think Kimimaro has a better chance of winning her over than you do."

Kimimaro turned to look at his friend and glared. The blue-haired boy looked back and said defensively,

"What!"

Hidan snickered, looking to Suigetsu.

"Oh please, you think she'd go for him? He's not even in the right league, I mean come on, Deidara only just scrapes into the bottom corner of her league, and I'm well in there. You have no chance. I'm going to win her easy-"

"She's not a prize."  
There was a pause of eerie silence. Everyone turned to look at Itachi. He was looking as calm as ever...but there was something about the way he was speaking... "She's not an object to be won so don't treat her like one. Girl's are not just objects to play with, and remember that..." He looked to Hidan. "Or do you want me to fulfil what I promised I would to you if you treated her badly?"

Sudden images flickered through Hidan's head, and he fell silent.

Tension still quite high, no one dared to say anything. Kimimaro seemed to take this opportunity to move. He made his way straight past Hidan- who was still staring at Itachi - and headed towards the garden gate to Yume's house, only someone stopped him again. Sasori. The red-head looked at Kimimaro and spoke,

"I do hope you're not going in there to confess your feeling to her."

Kimimaro didn't say anything, proving Sasori right. He sighed and pulled Kimimaro back a bit, then spoke to him.

"As much as don't like this love-war going on, I must say I am on my band's side. You are in her band, if you date her then break up with her, it could ruin the band, and I won't have her get any more hurt than she already has been."

Kimimaro's eyes flickered for a moment, then he dismissed Sasori and swiped his hand away.

"Thank you for your concern but I don't think you have any control over this."

Sasori watched him walk towards the gate with his two friend and gave a small smirk.

"Oh don't I?" He clicked his fingers.

It was done in a flash. There was a yell and before Kimimaro knew what he was doing, he was flat on his back on the concrete floor, with enormous pressure being pushed onto him. It was hard for him to even breathe.

Deidara leaned over to Sasori and whispered,

"Don't you think that was a bit unorthodox?"

Sasori looked back at him and asked simply,

"Do you?"

They both looked back at Kimimaro struggling on the ground, held to the floor by the screaming and almost-crying form of Tobi.

"PLEASE DON'T TAKE YUME AWAY! IF KIMIMARO DATES YUME, TOBI WILL NEVER GET TO SEE HER AGAIN! HOW CAN YOU DO THIS TO TOBI! TOBI'S YOUR FRIEND!"

Kimimaro couldn't do anything, he struggled to sit up but couldn't lift his own head. Suigetsu and Haku stood over them.

"He's turning blue! Call him off!" Haku yelled, for the first time he was getting angry. No one nearly suffocated his friend and got away with it. Suigetsu took the alternative and tried to pull Tobi off himself. He wrapped his arms around the brunette's waist and pulled, trying to prise his hands from around Kimimaro. Unfortunately, for a boy with the brain of a six-year-old, he had the strength of a twenty-five-year-old on steroids.

Suigetsu saw his friend slowly draining of oxygen and did the only thing he could think of that would work. He let go of Tobi and stood to his full height, then shifted and did a full-throttle roundhouse kick to the back of Tobi's head. Not only had Suigetsu's water aerobics taught him poise and grace, but also a great deal of lower body strength. This was very true, because Suigetsu actually watched Tobi fly across the ground, ending up lying in the middle of the road.

He would have laughed had it not been for-

"Ooh, now you've gone and done it, brat."

He looked up to see the rest of the Akatsuki members glaring at him with such venom- even Itachi. Hidan gritted his teeth.

"No one does that to Tobi, except us." He cracked his knuckles, as did Deidara and Sasori.

Kimimaro rose to his feet and took a stance next to Suigetsu and Haku, who were looking back at the other boys, preparing for what was about to happen. Hidan suddenly burst out laughing, but it was insane, bone-chilling laughter.

"First you steal our girl, then you try to keep her away from us, and now you hurt our friend." His laughter stopped. "Don't think you're getting off lightly.

A faint boxing-bell was heard ringing in the distance...

oOo

Yume was lying on the sofa, her legs crossed in the air, a pen in her mouth and her homework in front of her. Oh how she hated maths. She had so much to do since she'd missed quite a while off school, and the majority had to be in for Monday, also known as tomorrow.

She scribbled out the answer she had put and wrote a new one, then started on the next question.

Amaya wandered into the room, covered in flour and carrying her phone as she tried to find signal. She was trying to text Naruto to tell him there was a sale on ramen at the supermarket. She laughed darkly. Oh pitiful boy, how he would walk to the shops, his purse in hand, and when he got there, oh how he would cry because there would be no sale! She laughed again, amazed at her genius plan. From the other side of the room, Yume threw a pencil.

"Be quiet! I have homework."

Amaya looked over to her friend and sighed, shaking her head.

"Aah, Yume, my innocent, goody-two-shoes friend, how you have lost your way without my guidance." She perked up. "Don't worry! Just as soon as I'm done here, we'll go do some shopping!"

"Great.." Yume rolled her eyes and continued working, planning on sellotaping herself to the sofa so Amaya couldn't drag her away later.

"Ah-hah!" Amaya exclaimed, finally finding signal by the window. "I wish I could be there to watch his face- huh?" She looked out of the window. She looked confused for a moment, and then her eyes lit up.

"Yume! Come and look at this!"

"Nah, that's okay, I'm sort of busy."

Amaya kept looking out of the window.

"But Yume! You have to see this!" She yelled. Yume put her head down, trying to drown Amaya out.

"I'm doing my homework!"

Amaya looked at Yume, then looked out of the window to where the two group of boys were charging towards each other, then back at Yume. "But Yume! You're going to miss it!"

Yume face-planted the sofa.

"Amaya! I don't care! I'm _busy_!"

Amaya looked at Yume for a split second, then back outside. She whined,

"B-but Yume! Come on! You _have_ to see this!"

Yume groaned.

"No Amaya!"

Amaya looked round for another split second and stuck her tongue out, then she turned back and shrugged her shoulders, turning the camera on her phone on. She grumbled,

"Suit yourself, I'll just video it and show it to you later _then_."

She stuck the phone up to the window and pressed record, capturing the exact moment when the two groups of boys made contact with each other. She laughed.

"This is so going on yout~ube!"

She continued laughing, until suddenly she yelled,

"Hey! You get your filthy hands of Itachi you blue-haired, water-loving prick!" She banged on the windows, forgetting they were basically soundproof. "Yume, tell your band-members to-" She turned round, but Yume wasn't there any more. She heard a door upstairs close.

"Huh, fine then." Amaya looked through the camera and continued watching, up until the faint smell of burning wafted into the room. Amaya caught a smell of it and nearly dropped her phone.

"Shit! Not the muffins!"

She dropped the phone and ran, then realized what she'd done and picked the phone back up, cradled it, then set it down on the windowsill so it could still record the action, then ran as fast as she could back into the kitchen.

Yume sat in her bedroom with her headphones in as she continued with her homework, completely oblivious to what was going on outside.

oOo

The eight boys wrestled around on the floor, trying to basically kill each other until someone from just a short distance away, cleared their throat. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked in that direction.

Suigetsu and Kimimaro let go of who they had been fighting with, and Haku managed to crawl out from under Tobi- who had thought Haku was a girl so he had tried to 'protect her from the violence'- and stood up, dusting themselves off. The members of Akatsuki also stood up and brushed themselves down. The blonde man in front of them all, crossed his arms, raising one eyebrow.

"Boys, I hope you don't get a reputation for fighting with other bands. It wouldn't do well for your image."

"H-hello, Mister Uzumaki." Haku said, almost ashamed of himself and his fellow band-members. The older man smiled.

"Hey, I said call me Minato. I hate formalities." He turned to look at the other boys. "And you're Akatsuki. Don't you have a high reputation to uphold? You won't get far scrapping with kids."

The five boys looked at him for a short moment, then Sasori turned and walked away, dragging Deidara with him. Itachi did the same with Hidan, and Tobi skipped along at the back. Deidara hissed,

"Sasori, what are you _doing_, yeah!"

"Don't worry, Kimimaro won't do anything whilst Mister Uzumaki is there, and anyway, we'll be coming back later."

"Really?"

Sasori nodded so he no longer found the need to drag Deidara along. The blonde walked along side Sasori quite happily...unlike Hidan.

Minato looked at the three boys in front of him, his eyebrow still raised.  
"Now what was all that about?"  
The three boys looked between themselves, then Haku stepped forward and said,

"Well we were fighting over..." He couldn't finish, so Minato took one look at the blush on the boy's face and rolled his eyes.

"Over Yume..." He sighed. Teenage boys and their god-forsaken hormones. "Well, my advice to you right now is to forget about visiting Yume and leave. You did just cause quite a scene, and people are going to be starting to ask questions."  
Suigetsu was about to protest, but Kimimaro stopped him.

"That's fine. We'll go."

Without another word said the three boys turned to leave only Minato placed a hand on both Haku and Kimimaro's shoulder. He directed his speech towards Haku first.

"Would you mind giving me those lyric sheets? I can pass them on to Yume when I see her in a minute."

"Oh, yes of course!" Haku said, hurriedly collecting together all of the files in his arms and bag, then passing them to the blonde haired man, then the smaller boy turned to Suigetsu, who also passed Minato two other folders.

"My, you are a dedicated band."  
Haku smiled, feeling proud of himself. He was the lyricist in the band. Minato smiled, then turned his attention to Kimimaro, his free hand still resting on the boys shoulder.

"And Kimimaro, you're not going to like this, but I agree with what Sasori said earlier. You shouldn't make a move on Yume. Many bands have had their downfalls when a relationship between members has failed."  
Kimimaro looked at him vaguely, not seeming to be able to get round something...

"Basically what I'm trying to say is if you date her and then break up it could break up the band, and as your manager the band is in my best interest. You must understand I'm putting a lot of money into you guys."

Kimimaro let the words sink in then he looked to the ground.

"I understand all of that... only I find it slightly degrading that you believe we _would_ split up."

Minato raised his hand in defence.

"That's not exactly what I-"

"However," Kimimaro said coolly. "As I don't want to break up the group we've worked so hard to create, and as I like our teams relationship as it is, I won't 'make a move' on Yume, as you said."

Minato watched Kimimaro's expression, then realised he was being sincere.

"I'm glad to hear it, Kimimaro. It takes a strong man to put his feelings aside to achieve the higher goal."

Minato patted Kimimaro's shoulder and said to the group,

"Well, I best be moving, I have a meeting in Suna in just over an hour." And with that, he turned and headed towards Yume's front gate, carrying the folders in his arms.

Kimimaro, Suigetsu and Haku also turned and left. As they were walking down the street, Suigetsu nudged Kimimaro and said,

"It doesn't stop you looking though." -Referring to Yume. Kimimaro looked down at the floor… then smiled.

"Right."

Haku rolled his eyes.

Minato walked up to the front door, juggling the folders between his hands. He managed to ring the doorbell before two folders hit the floor. He bent down to pick them up and at the same time the door opened.

"What do you want?" said a voice from the door-way. Minato picked the folders up, threw them on top of the pile in his arms then looked to the doorframe.

"Ah, hello there, are you Yume's room-mate? My name's Minato Uzumaki. It's nice to meet you." He shuffled the folders so they were all in one arm then held the other out in front of him for a hand-shake.

Amaya, who was stood with a whisk in one hand, a mixing bowl in the other and flour covering her front from head-to-toe, looked at the hand in front of her as if it were a signed edition of the twilight box-set (For those of you who hadn't realised from the party, Amaya LOVES twilight).

"You're the… head of…Uzumaki Corp…" She threw the whisk into the bowl and stretched her hand out to shake his, only she stopped with her hand midway. She was looking at it. She was staring at the flour coating her hand.

Minato realized what she was looking at and said cautiously,

"Are you alrig-"

"I'm not worthy!" Amaya yelled suddenly. "I'm a mess! A horrible, ugly mess!"

Minato stepped back in alarm.

"What?"

Amaya completely ignored him, withdrawing her hand and cradling it to her chest. She took another look at Minato, whimpered then ran off into the house. Minato didn't really know what to say.

He shuffled the folders in his arms again and walked up to the door-frame. He called out,

"Hello…?"

There was no reply for a brief moment, then the blonde-haired man heard running. He waited for a moment, then saw a familiar face appear from a room on the left.

Yume saw who it was stood in the doorway and smiled,

"Hello, mister Uzumaki!"

"Minato, please," He said with a smile. Yume nodded and gave a small nervous laugh, then scurried over to the door wearing the same dark blue Lolita-dress she had worn to the party (Only to be worn **indoors!**) and offered to take a few of the folders from Minato, commenting how heavy they looked. After she had been given about half, she asked,

"Was there something you want to talk about, by the way?"

"Yes actually." Minato said, motioning Yume to go back into the living-room. She turned and he followed behind. On the way in, Yume asked,

"So what's with all the folders?"

"Haku said they're lyrics for a few songs he wanted to run by you."

Yume raised her eyebrows.

"He's already started writing his own songs?"

"Looks like it." Minato said, shaking the folders around to get his point across. Yume laughed. She dropped the folders onto the sofa next to her then asked Minato to take the seat opposite her. He did, and then passed the remaining folders over to where she was sitting. She looked at the stack next to her and sighed.

"It's going to take me all night…"

Minato chuckled at her facial-expression.

When they were both settled into the living-room comfortably, Minato continued by saying, his voice that little bit softer,

"Well, Yume, to be honest the reason I'm here is just to make sure you're okay."

Yume laughed. "Okay? What about?"

"Well…" He paused. "Disowning your parents."

"Oh." Was all she could reply with.

After that day, Amaya had explained all that had happened whilst Yume had been told to stay in the bathroom with Itachi, consequently ending with Yume in tears- though this may have been due to the fact Amaya had happened to have said "You've been orphaned." This, to anyone, doesn't sound nice. Yume had been having mixed feelings about it since then. She still couldn't make up her mind if it was the right thing to have done or not.

Minato realized he'd caused Yume some distress so he said carefully,

"Sorry, this may have not been a good time to bring it up."

Yume raised her hand and tried to smile.

"No, no, it's fine! You came all this way so it would be rude not to!"

She asked him to continue so he said,

"Being on your own will obviously be hard going-"

"I… have Amaya."

Minato raised his eyebrow.

"Even so… not having a family-figure around might be tough on you, emotionally and financially. If you ever feel stretched for money at any time, you can always ask for benefits. Obviously if our band pulls through and you earn the money you will be fine, but starting yourself off can be tough, and you shouldn't have to strain yourself."

Yume's eyes widened.

"Ah- I don't want to have benefits! People are always complaining about paying taxes for slobs without jobs!"

Minato chuckled.

"It's okay; you probably won't be on it for long, and then when you're not, you can start paying for the 'slobs without jobs' too."

Yume sighed.

"I wouldn't even know where to start looking for an application-"

Before she had time to finish, Minato had produced papers from his jacket. He handed them to her and said,

"It's two-hundred pounds a week. I think that's enough to get you going."

Yume's head snapped up from the paper she was reading.

"Two hundred!..." Her jaw dropped open. "I don't know what to say. Thank you, I guess."

Minato smiled.

"You're very welcome."

As Yume read over the papers, Minato stood up to leave. She looked up.

"Are you going already?"

He gave a small nod.

"Yes, I only came to give you those, and to make sure you'll be okay. I would stay longer, only I have a meeting soon."

Yume's face dropped slightly.

"But…-"

"If you need to talk to someone about…your parents… you know there are a couple of groups of boys who would be more than happy to listen." He saw Yume's cheeks flush slightly pink and smiled. "And I'm sure you know who I'm talking about. Don't worry, Yume, I'll show myself out."

Yume wanted to talk to him more, since he'd brought the subject up, but she simply watched him leave the room then heard the front-door open and close a few moments later.

Yume shuffled the papers.

That visit had been… unexpected. It was nice to know an adult finally had her back, who was looking after her- not that she didn't have people looking after her, it's just this one wasn't completely controlled by hormones.

She looked to her side and saw the folders again, laughing. She was so happy for a dedicated band.

Yume sighed, attached the benefit papers into one of the many folders, then scooped up as many as she could carry and headed out of the room. She walked through the doorway and turned to head up the stairs.

Making sure not to drop anything, Yume eventually made the top step and turned, walking down the corridor. When she reached one room she paused, hearing noises. She could hear the shower running, and the faint murmur of 'Must get clean… Still not clean…germs…' Yume took a step back, wondering what on earth Amaya was on about. She thought for a moment then realized she probably didn't even want to know. She carried on walking. She paused again, outside the next room. She simply looked at the door. The room she hadn't stepped in, in over a decade. She couldn't really call it her parents' room any more, but without that name, it would just be called the empty room. Yume didn't know if she could venture inside yet. She knew she should one day, just to prove that her parents weren't there to hurt her any more…even still…- Yume shook her head, trying to knock the bad thoughts out and think of something happier. She set off walking again and her thoughts happily drifted off. As Minato had said, if Yume ever needed to talk to someone, there was always the new Konoha Chibi Parade or Akatsuki. They had both been there after the party, they both knew.

As Yume reached her room and pushed open the door she made up her mind to call the boys from Akatsuki. They wouldn't mind talking to her about it surely-

"YUMEEEEEEEEEEE~EEEE!"

A figure jumped straight at Yume, knocking her back out of the door and sending the folders flying everywhere. She landed on the floor with a thud, the person's arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders. It could only be one person…

"Tobi! Get the fuck off her, you're gonna kill her!"

She was right. She struggled to sit up, pulling Tobi up with her, and rubbed the back of her head.

"Ouch…"

Tobi gasped.

"Oh no! Did Tobi hurt Yume? NO! TOBI DIDN'T MEAN IT! TOBI'S SORRY!"

Yume started laughing, then she felt Tobi's strangle-hold being pulled off her. She looked up to see Hidan holding him by the back of his shirt. He looked down at her and smirked.

"Cute dress." Yume looked down at herself and blushed. "Need a hand up?"

He offered his free hand to her, which she accepted gratefully. As Hidan grabbed her hand, he threw Tobi through the open bedroom door. There was a crash and a "What the hell, Hidan, yeah!"

Yume was pulled up, then she looked round Hidan's shoulder.

"Deidara? You're here too?"

The same voice called back,

"Well of course I am, yeah!"

She walked past Hidan and into her room –him following behind– only to jump and step back into him when she saw the whole of Akatsuki, plus bodyguard, sitting in various places in her bedroom.

"What are you all doing in my room!"

"We came to visit." Stated Sasori. Hidan urged her into the room then closed the door behind them both. Yume was looking from Sasori sat on her bed, to Deidara and Tobi sprawled on her floor, to Itachi by her wardrobe, and then to Kisame leaning against her chest of drawers.

"How did you even get through the front door without me noticing?" Yume asked, still in shock. Sasori raised his eye-brow.

"Who said we came in through the front door-"

"We came through your window, yeah." Deidara interrupted. Yume looked down at him, then at her window.

"But I'm on the second floor?"

He smirked. "So?"

Well there was no real reply to that…

"…So again… why are you all in my room?"

Hidan, who was still stood very close behind her, put his hands on her shoulders and said,

"We're taking you to the cinema."

She looked over her shoulder with a sudden smile on her face.

"Really?"

"Yeah, we haven't seen you in fucking weeks. We need a day out together."

Yume laughed.

"Yeah… ahh, with all the band rehearsals I never really had time to see you guys… sorry about that."

"Yeah, you better be." Hidan said, gripping hold of her shoulders tighter and shaking her.

"H-hey!" Yume said, her vision going fuzzy. Sasori called from the bed,

"Let her go, Hidan."

Although Yume couldn't see it, there was a warning look in Sasori's eyes.

"Hmph, fine." Hidan stopped shaking her suddenly and she stumbled forward, nearly falling on top of Tobi and Deidara. She managed to regain her balance just next to them, though shouldn't have bothered as Tobi reached up and brought her tumbling to the floor, his arms securely wrapped around her neck.

"YUMEEEEEEEEEEE~EEE!"

"To-...-bi...can't... breath!"

Again, Tobi was quite quickly removed from Yume, only this time it was by Kisame. He chuckled at her.

"No thanks necessary, kid."

Yume smiled at him, rubbing at her neck, then turned to her left.

"So when are we going to the cinema?"  
Deidara, very happy with how close she was to him, replied,

"Well any time now really, yeah."

"Oh really? Okay, well just let me get changed first and then we can go!"

She went to get up, only Deidara said,

"Why do you need to get changed?"

She looked down at her self, then at Deidara.

"Have you _seen_ me?"

He winked. "Yes I have."

She sweat-dropped. She pulled herself up, dusted herself off, then said,

"Okay! Everyone out, I'm getting change-"

"Oh no you're not." Kisame said, coming up behind her and wrapping his arm round her waist.

"W-what?" Yume said, her eyes widening as she felt his arm around her. He suddenly picked her up and hurled her over his shoulder.

"You'll take too long and we'll miss the film!"

As he proceeded towards the window, Yume started screaming – for many, many reasons. The main three were, one, she didn't want to be seen in public in the dress, two, they were heading for the window and that could only mean one thing, and three, Kisame had her over his shoulder so her dress was positioned in such a way that the Akatsuki members had a very clear view of what was under her dress.

"Put. Me. _DOWN!_"

She heard someone snickering.

"No don't, we've got a great shot of her."

'**Arghh... screw Hidan, the freakin' pervert!'**

'I want to be put down!...why does he always have to put me over his shoulder any way!'

'**When I get a hold of Hidan... I'm going to let Suigetsu loose on him!... or even worse..TOBI! Mwuhaha-'**

"Ah! What are you doing!" Yume said as she felt someone touching the bottom of her dress. A voice said,

"Covering up your-" But he never finished his sentence because Yume kicked her foot, catching him in the face and sending him flying across the room. It was only after that she realized he -Sasori- was only trying to be helpful.

-(5 minutes later, in the limousine)-

"Sorry, Sasori." Yume said, half-hearted laughing as she handed him the ice-pack for his swollen lip.

Deidara and Hidan were sat on the other side of the limo, laughing so hard their insides were hurting. Oh how they wished they'd had a video-camera. Itachi and Kisame were sat just a little further down the limo, sat in almost silence, and Tobi...well being Tobi, was bouncing around the limo, randomly throwing cushions at people and singing nursery-rhymes very loudly.

As the end of every limousine ride seemed to go, when the door was opened, Tobi was the first one out followed by a loudly cursing Hidan swearing to rip the brunette apart in every direction.

As the rest of the group exited the vehicle, Yume was reluctant to leave due to what she was wearing. She really wasn't comfortable being seen in it by so many people. Deidara, sensing her problem, waited for the rest of the group to get out of the limo then turned to her.

"Yume, it's okay, you really do look nice it that dress, yeah." He said, holding his hand out to her with a reassuring smile on his face. She looked at his hand, then at his face and replied,

"But I really don't… want to… people are going to say stuff…"

He laughed.

"Only how cute you look. Now come on-"

Before she could muster a response, Deidara grabbed hold of her and yanked her forward, sending her crashing into his chest. She let out a yell as he picked her up in his arms and moved towards the door.

"No! Deidara put me down! I don't want to go out there! No! No, no, _no_!"

The others turned to see what all the commotion was. Deidara appeared from the vehicle, Yume in his arms as she tried her best to pull his hair out in an attempt to make him let go of her, or even better, put her back in the limousine.

"Let me go! Deidara put me down _right _now! Just let me go and change! People are going to stare at me!"

He laughed.

"No more than they are right now, yeah." He said, nodding curtly at a couple walking past who were pointing. Yume stopped struggling, her hands still bawled up in Deidara's hair, realizing she was making a scene. The others laughed when her face flushed a bright shade of red. She pulled her hands from Deidara's hair and said quietly,

"Please put me down now."

He looked at her cautiously.

"Are you going to get back in the limo, yeah?"

She crossed her arms over her chest.

"No."

"Good girl."

He moved his arm from under her knees, letting her feet drop to the floor. She steadied herself on the ground then turned back to Deidara and stuck her tongue out. He chuckled, then walked past her, over towards the others- or more specifically Sasori. Yume laughed to herself and decided to catch up. Hidan, who was still stood with his hands around Tobi's neck a short distance away, growled at Deidara for that little scene with Yume. He dropped Tobi to the floor and ran towards the group as they turned and walked across to the large cinema building a short distance away.

Tobi lay motionless on the ground for a moment, then as if someone had suddenly pumped his lungs full of life he sprung up from the floor as happy and as optimistic as ever and ran at the group, or more specifically, Yume, with his arms stretched wide. It was like Hidan _hadn't_ just strangled him more than half to death.

When they reached the doors to the cinema, it was Kisame who went first. He wrapped his fingers around the handle and pulled. As it was Kisame's job, he was automatically suspicious of anything that moved…which was a problem since they were in a busy cinema.

He dived straight into the main hall and started running up to people, checking them over, and then, when he couldn't find anything wrong, he went to the extreme and dived on a child with a box of popcorn, exclaiming,

"There could be a hidden camera in this box!"

The members of Akatsuki walked into the room, pretending not to know the crazy blue-skinning man attacking small children, and went over to the ticket counter.

The woman behind the desk had to do a double-take, then had to stop herself buckling at the knees.

"What can I do for you very _fine_ gentlemen?" then she spotted Yume. "…and her."

The guys looked at each other then Deidara _accidentally_ coughed, shoving Sasori slightly with his hands. The red-head stumbled forward slightly then regained his balance. He rested his elbows against the desk and gave the receptionist a smile.

"Well, my friend and I were just wondering what film we should watch? What would you recommend?"

The woman was straight to talk. She batted her eyelashes and said, "Well I would suggest Eastern Promises. It's a good thriller and has an amazing fight scene just for you lovely guys."

Deidara, stood just behind Sasori, cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows suggestively, mocking Sasori. The red-head ignored him completely and said,

"Actually, I was thinking something more… appropriate for girls?"

The woman's eyes flickered to Yume for a moment… and even Deidara… then said, her tone a little harsher, as if she had been rejected already,

"Well then why not watch PS. I love you? _That's _a girl's film. She'll be _all_ over you during that."

Sasori raised his eyebrow.

"Thank you, we'll take seven tickets then… and I don't know what you are implying but I have no wishes to have my friend 'all over me'."

The woman looked up from her computer screen.

"Oh really?" She pulled the tickets from the machine and handed them to Sasori. "So then you're not seeing anyone? How about I get off early and- HEY!" She yelled, trying to get the attention of the male who had turned on his heel and pushed the others away as fast as he could, trying to get somewhere or _away_ from somewhere else.

When they were out of sight of the ticket desk, Sasori stopped pushing the group and stood up straight. Deidara laughed.

"She so wanted you, yeah."

Sasori glared. Yume, deciding she didn't want a fight to break out, asked,

"So what are we going to watch?"

Sasori looked at the tickets.

"PS. I love you."

There were gasps. Hidan – "WHY ARE WE WATCHING A FUCKING CHICK-FLICK!". Tobi – "TOBI WANTED TO WATCH TINKERBELL AND THE LOST TREASURE!" and Yume – "Great! I've wanted to watch that for ages!"

The last comment automatically canceled out the first two because Yume was the one they were treating – even Hidan agreed. Tobi on the other hand… well he need a little more persuading. Deidara held his hand out in front of Tobi's face, a twenty-pound-note resting in his palm. With his other hand he pointed over his shoulder.

"Popcorn and sweets are back that way, go crazy, yeah."

The childish brunette's face lit up like a bunch of fireworks. He snatched the money from Deidara and ran off, literally screaming from joy. Yume laughed, watching him skipping across the room, many heads turning to watch him. She looked away when Itachi said,

"We should go in now; we don't want to miss the start of the film."

Sasori looked at his watch.

"I think you're right." He looked up. "Kisame, stay and wait for Tobi then bring him in later."

The blue-tinted man – who had rejoined the group after being attacked by a woman with a purse - groaned.

"Do I have to look after him?"

"Think of it this way. You're not protecting him; you're protecting the rest of the cinema _from_ him."

Kisame's face faltered. He looked almost scared for the people around him.

"Well when you put it that way-"

Sasori handed him two tickets as he dashed away from the group, travelling at lightning speed to where Tobi was hanging over the concessions stand, trying to point out the exact bag of candyfloss he wanted.

Yume looked up when she was offered her ticket. She took it from Sasori and smiled.

"Thank you!"

He chuckled and said quietly.

"No problem."

She studied the ticket and read the seat number out under her breath, trying to remember it. Two very nosy people stood next to her heard the number and immediately went to Sasori.

"I want to sit by Yume." They whispered – somehow in perfect unison. Sasori looked at them both and rolled his eyes.

"How did I guess… well I hate to tell you this but as I guessed that was what you were both wanting, I took the liberty of giving those two seats to Kisame and Tobi." He said, pointing to the two at the counter a short distance away. Deidara and Hidan's jaws dropped open.

"How could you, yeah? I thought you were my friend!"

Sasori smirked.

"Whatever gave you that impression?"

And with that he walked straight past the two, over to Itachi and Yume, put his hand on Yume's back and guided them away. The two sulking males followed behind.

oOo

Everyone was sat in their seats on the front row of the cinema. Hidan, very pleased with himself, turned to the girl sat on his left and said,

"Want some popcorn?"

"Sure!" Yume said, taking a handful and popping one into her mouth. Hidan grinned, placed the box of popcorn on the ground and then sat back in his seat, completely content.

_(Flashback)_:

_As the rest of the group filed into the cinema, Hidan lingered behind, waiting for something. That's when Kisame and Tobi came round the corner. Hidan smiled devilishly. Tobi was walking, somehow in a straight line, with popcorn boxes, candyfloss bags, drinks and bags of sweets piled high up to above his head. The ticket was sticking out of his pocket, plain as day. Oh this was too easy- and that's why Hidan decided he needed to make it more fun for himself. The poor, unsuspecting Tobi never saw it coming. He never saw the crazy-eyed silver-haired boy running at him with his arms outstretched, his hands poised for painful action on Tobi's part. There was a crash, a yell, more crashes, a cry of "MY JELLYBABIES!" a few more crashes, then Hidan got up from the floor and dusted himself off, the ticket held firmly in his grip. He reached into his jeans pocket and withdrew his own ticket, then tossed it onto the floor next to the pile of sticky mess that was Tobi. He walked along the corridor happily, with almost a spring in his step, giving Kisame a nod on the way past, then entered the door that read 'screen 4'._

_(Flashback end)_

Deidara, sitting at the far end of the row, had his arms crossed over his chest, a frown on his face. It wasn't only because of the fact Hidan was sat next to Yume, but also because of the fact he had to put up with, "Deidara! Tobi has nacho cheese in his hair! HELP TOBI GET IT OUT!" for the whole time. It was almost a blessing when the movie actually started because Tobi seemed to stop in mid-sentence, turning to the screen with his eyes the size of sauce-pans. He was engrossed in the movie. Deidara smacked his forehead. Dear god… ah well, he didn't have to bother with that idiot for another hour or two.

Only a short way into the film and Deidara was gripping the arms of his chair, cursing Hidan for being sat next to Yume. She was streaming with tears and Hidan- Hidan, the slimy, two-faced, tone-deaf prick that he was- was giving Yume his shoulder to cry on. AND SHE WAS TAKING IT! Oh Hidan- no. Sasori! He was going to die for this. _He _picked the film! Wait-

Deidara turned his head to look at the screen. Hidan had gotten up. He was walking in Deidara's direction… and then he walked straight past; in fact, he walked straight out of the room. Deidara didn't even care what it was for, he just took his chance. Deidara grabbed his things and got up from his seat, then keeping low so as not to annoy other people, he walked across the bottom of the cinema until he arrived at the seat next to Yume. She looked at him when she realized he was there and smiled, wiping at her eyes. He gave her a sympathetic smile as he put his things down.

"You okay, Yume, yeah?"

She nodded.

"Yeah I'm fine… that last scene just got to me a bit…"

Deidara sat down in the seat and rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. She gave him a grateful smile then turned to watch the rest of the film. Seeing as though Hidan was no were in sight, Deidara settled himself sown in the seat, hoping that the movie was going to last for quite some time.

Twenty minutes later and Deidara was slightly curious. He leaned over and whispered in Yume's ear,

"Hey, Yume?"

"Yes?" She said, turning her head to him; she blushed when she realized their faces were just centimetres apart.

"Where's Hidan, yeah?"

"Uhh…umm, he said he was getting more popcorn. We ran out." She said, reaching down and picking up the empty popcorn box.

"Ohhh, okay." Deidara turned back to screen. Yume stared at him.

"Was that it?"

He looked at her curiously, "Why? Did you want to talk, yeah?"

"Oh, no… it was just a bit of random question, that's all."

Deidara smirk.

Another ten or so minutes passed before Hidan reappeared in the doorway to the room. His jaw almost hit the floor when he saw where Deidara was sitting. He was about to scream bloody-murder but Itachi – with his awesome ninja skills – ran over and planted a hand over his mouth, stopping the explosion dead in its tracks.

"Hidan, don't cause a scene here. If you want to get back at him, do it back at school."

Hidan, suddenly fine with the situation – knowing he now had an okay from Itachi to hurt Deidara later – walked across the floor and handed Yume a box of popcorn, the when Deidara looked at him with a smug 'I kick you out of your seat and you can't do anything about it' look, he smirked back with a 'That's what you think' look… only it was totally wasted because Hidan didn't know Deidara couldn't even see his face.

Hidan walked back across the floor and looked at his new seat. Sat in between Tobi and the isle…

"Screw this," He said to himself. "I'm sitting at the back!"

And with that he vaulted over the bar to the stairs and ran up them two at a time until he was at the top.

"Do you wish to sit next to me, Hidan of Akatsuki!"

"Uh… sure kid… whatever."

"IT WOULD BE AN HONOUR TO SIT BY SOMEONE FROM SUCH A YOUTHFUL BAND!"

"YES LEE! STAND ASIDE TO LET THAT YOUTHFUL BEAST PAST! I SHALL SIT NEXT TO HIM AND BASK IN THE WARM GLOW OF HIS YOUTHFULNESS!"

Hidan stared at the two pudding-bowl-haircutted males, shocked that people like them even existed.

"This way my friend! Though it may be a tight squeeze as the rows are only made to fit once person at a time!" Hidan saw the smaller of the two stand up… wearing a very tight green spandex suit… there was no way he was accidentally rubbing up against _that._ "You must be quick! We do not want to miss any more of the film!"

Hidan sighed gruffly.

O

"Hidan! Why are you sitting next to Tobi? Deidara is sat by Tobi! Hidan is in Deidara's seat! HIDAN MUST GET OUT OF DEIDARA'S SEAT!"

Hidan gave Tobi one swift punch to the top of the head, knocking him out flat. He sat down in the empty seat, crossing his arms over his chest and mumbling,

"It's not Deidara's seat _now_."

Yume, sat just along the isle, reached into the box and pulled out another handful of popcorn. The woman on the screen, who had been doing so well, had just fallen back into depressing after hearing her friends were pregnant and engaged. It was getting good. Yume was glued to her seat. She was so engrossed in the film that hen she put her hand into the box again; she didn't realize that instead of taking hold of pieces of popcorn, she took hold of Deidara's hand. Deidara, loving the sensation of her skin touching his, wanted to make it last for as long as possible. He only stopped her as she was about to try and eat one of his fingers.

"Uhh… Yume?"

She seemed to snap back to life.

"Hu-huh? What is it, Deidara?" She said, turning to look at him innocently. He chuckled.

"Can I have that back, please, yeah?"

"What?" Yume said, looking around momentarily until she realized what she was holding. She looked at his hand in hers as if it was some sort of foreign object. She had no idea how it had gotten there. Even still…

"Ah! Sorry Deidara!" She said, letting go of his hand. To try and ignore her embarrassment she grabbed hold of the popcorn, held it between her knees and started eating furiously, her eyes fixated on the screen. Deidara smiled.

"Hey, Yume, it's oka-"

"Sshhh!"

Deidara looked over to Kisame with his eyebrow raised.

"Excuse me-"

"SSHHH! I am _trying_ to watch a film here!"

He raised his other eyebrow. It seemed Kisame was just as engrossed in the film as Yume… was he secretly a girl or something? It was a chick-flick for crying out loud!

-(1 hour later)-

Deidara sighed when he heard a sob next to him. He looked to his side with an 'I don't believe it' look on his face.

"Kisame, pull yourself together, yeah! Yume's not even crying!"

He looked down just to make sure. He was almost slightly disappointed when he saw Yume smiling back at him. Kisame growled.

"You heartless cad! How can you not cry at something like that! She couldn't feel him there any more! He's gone! Gone for good!"

Deidara slapped his forehead.

"And you call yourself a fearless bodyguard, yeah…"

"Shut up!"

Yume couldn't help but laugh.

As the credits of the film started to roll everyone began to get ready to leave. Yume gathered up the popcorn boxes, Itachi cleared up the drinks, Hidan was woken up by Sasori and Kisame had to put the unconscious Tobi over his shoulder. As Yume picked up the last box she heard someone say,

"Enjoy the film?"

She turned round to see Hidan. He looked half asleep.

"Yeah, I loved it! And you fell asleep…?"

"So sue me! I hate chick-flicks!"

Yume cocked her head to one side.

"So why did you come? You could have watched something else, you know?"

Hidan suddenly became nervous.

"Well… you see… it's just… well you know-"

Yume burst out laughing.

"It's okay, Hidan. It was nice to spend some time with you too."

As she skipped out – on a high from the sugar-rush – Hidan's face turned the tiniest shade of pink. Yume skipped across to Itachi and tapped him on the shoulder.

"I'll take the drinks too, if you want?"

Itachi looked down at her happy little face and gave a small smile. He handed her the few bottles and said,

"Thank you."

"No problem!"

She turned on her heel and started skipping out of the room, her hands full of litter. She was so hyper that she didn't even realize she was still wearing the Lolita-dress. She skipped across the floor, over to the nearest bin she could find. She dumped the boxes and bottles in, then turned and started to skip back; only she bumped into someone.

"Ouch!- Oh, sorry, my bad."

"Watch where you're going!"

Yume turned on her heel, only to see Amaya's deadliest enemy, Kimiko. She gave Yume a look of disgust then threw her nose in the air and walked off, clinging onto the arm of- Yume did a double-take. Sasuke? Kimiko… and Sasuke? When did that happen! It was true, Kimiko had hold of a drink in one hand, and Sasuke's arm linked with the other. Had he been forced into it somehow? Well… he looked happy enough. Yume's thoughts wandered to her ex-cousin, Ino. Sasuke had been dating her last thing she'd heard. What had happened there?

Yume jumped with a start when someone placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned round to see Hidan.

"Are you okay, Blondie? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I just saw something weird that's all…" She said, her eyes wandering over to the couple at the ticket counter. Hidan, curious to see what she was looking at, walked behind Yume and rested his head on top of hers, trying to look in the same direction she was. His eyes locked on the figures.

"Isn't that Itachi's little brother?"

"Umm, yeah, that's him."

"Huh." Hidan said, thinking about something. That's when he brought his hands out in front of Yume and cracked his knuckles.

"What's wrong?" She said, trying to look up but having the pressure of his head on hers stopping her from doing so. He shifted his head slightly, cracking his neck.

"Well I'm just wondering, is all, what the _fuck_ is that little prick doing showing his face around here after what he did to you?"

"Huh?" Yume said hastily, trying to laugh it off. "Hey, it's a public place, Hidan."

"That doesn't fucking matter." He said, his tone suddenly dark. "He shouldn't be allowed within a hundred fucking meters of you."

Yume was beginning to worry. She could feel Hidan tensing up behind her and his clenched fists were leaving his knuckles white.

"H-hey, Hidan calm down, please. It's okay, he's not done anything to me since-"

"Yume you're too fuckin' forgiving. I can still see your bruises so he's still going to have to pay."

Yume yelped as Hidan grabbed hold of her and moved her out of the way. His eyes were murderous. He started walking, making his way towards where Sasuke and Kimiko were stood. He stopped suddenly when he felt Yume's hand grab his. He had to take long, shaky breaths, trying to calm himself down before he spoke. With his back still turned to Yume he said,

"Yume, he shouldn't be allowed to walk off from beating up a girl – let alone you. I'm going to kill him."

Before Yume could reply, Hidan wrenched his hand from her feeble grip and started running.

"H-Hidan! Stop!" Yume screamed after him. The look in his eyes… it had frightened her. She ran forward to try and catch up with him, to stop him, only someone grabbed her by the shoulder and forced her to stop moving, then someone else ran straight past her like a flash of light.

"Deidara!" Yume called, panicking. He didn't turn to look at her. He was running flat out, whether to catch up to Hidan to stop him or to aid him she didn't know. Yume turned to the one holding her back – Itachi – and asked in a scared voice,

"What's going on?"

The reply he gave was not at all reassuring.

"What they think is best for you."

"But-…" Yume tried to start running again to intervene, but Itachi wouldn't let her go. All she could do was watch Hidan running towards Sasuke with Deidara not far behind, and pray that it wouldn't end the way Hidan had said. The words rang through her head like never-ending bell.

'_I'm going to kill him_.'

* * *

_Deidara:__ I've put Sarah to bed because she was up late writing this. (Reading from script Sarah left out for him) Ta...daaaa? A cliffhanger. What will... happen next, who knows? Mwuhaha I know... (looks at paper oddly) Stick around for the next update to find out too. (Scrunches up paper and tosses over shoulder). Well on behalf of Sarah - who's fast asleep - I hope you enjoyed it, yeah.  
_

_(Deidara acting as) X-Deidara's Lover-X_


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Naruto, they belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

Claimer: I DO however own Yume and Amaya. If I see them in your work, I'll set Deidara on you! (glares)

Deidara: Uhh... Sarah I hate to break this to you, yeah, but I don't think they're going to mind that.

Me: Pah! Well you think big of yourself, don't you mister girly-boy?

Deidara: Fine. Be like that, yeah. If I see your characters in other people's work I'm not going to do anything about it.

Me: HOW COULD YOU? (Breaks down into tears)

Deidara: (rolls eyes and turns to readers) She's just tired... I hope, yeah.

* * *

Chapter 15

Recap:

_"H-Hidan! Stop!" Yume screamed after him. The look in his eyes… it had frightened her. She ran forward to try and catch up with him, to stop him, only someone grabbed her by the shoulder and forced her to stop moving, then someone else ran straight past her like a flash of light._

_"Deidara!" Yume called, panicking. He didn't turn to look at her. He was running flat out, whether to catch up to Hidan to stop him or to aid him she didn't know. Yume turned to the one holding her back – Itachi – and asked in a scared voice,_

_"What's going on?"_

_The reply he gave was not at all reassuring._

_"What they think is best for you."_

_"But-…" Yume tried to start running again to intervene, but Itachi wouldn't let her go. All she could do was watch Hidan running towards Sasuke with Deidara not far behind, and pray that it wouldn't end the way Hidan had said. The words rang through her head like never-ending bell._

'_I'm going to kill him.'_

oOo_  
_

"Stop!"

The sound of Yume's petrified voice rang out across the cinema, over the top of every other voice in the room. Everyone turned to look at her – everyone except the two people she was directing her voice at. Hidan was out in front, his eyes murderous, charging at the unsuspecting Sasuke. Deidara was behind him, his eyes also locked on target. Yume couldn't do anything; she couldn't stop them.

Seeing them closing in the last fifteen meters, Yume made one last, desperate attempt;

"Sasuk-" She stopped mid-sentence.

Only a few meters away now, Hidan drew his arm back ready to throw it and connect with the Uchiha's face- only he couldn't bring his fist forward. He stopped running and looked over his shoulder. Deidara was looking at him with deadly-serious eyes. Hidan didn't even get a chance to scowl at him before a fist connected with his head just in-between the eyes, knocking him out cold.

Deidara stood over him, his breathing heavy. Seeing Hidan unconscious, Deidara's face relaxed and he hunched forward, putting his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. He looked up, one eye open to see Sasuke and Kimiko going into the screen-room, totally oblivious. He closed his eyes and looked down, missing Sasuke looking over at the body of Hidan then smirking darkly.

Yume was stood in shock. The only thing stopping her buckling under nervous-knees was Itachi holding her up at the shoulder. Of course, when the Uchiha realised the danger was over and the support disappeared, Yume lurched forward and nearly fell on her face. She got back onto her feet properly, then -also with the other members of Akatsuki- made her way across the room to Deidara and the unconscious Hidan.

She was the first to arrive at the pair so she put her hand on Deidara's back.

"Hey, you okay?"

He opened his eyes and looked across at her, blinking a couple of times.

"Yeah, yeah. I just haven't run like that in a while...- Oh I'm seeing spots." He said, looking into his own vision and going slightly crossed-eyed. "Well that can't be good, yeah."

Yume put a hand to her mouth and giggled, seeing that Deidara was alright and well enough to be making jokes. Deidara realised and shook his head, focusing his eye-sight back on her and giving her a goofy grin.

Just then the other four boys appeared behind Yume, scowling at Deidara. He blinked, trying to pick out their expressions- then when he did his jaw dropped open.

"What did I do! I stopped him didn't I, yeah?"

Sasori walked over and took Deidara by the elbow, forcing him up onto his feet. He didn't say anything but started dragging Deidara away towards the exit to the cinema. Deidara looked over his shoulder to Yume, who shrugged, not knowing what was going on. Sasori looked over his shoulder, past Yume. She looked around too, trying to guess who he was looking at. Kisame started walking forward. He walked across to Hidan, scooped him up and threw him over his shoulder then started to follow Sasori and Deidara. Before Yume could ask any questions, Itachi put his hand in the middle of her back and pushed her along. Tobi skipped along behind them, carrying a box of popcorn and an extremely large drink in his arms. Not liking being shuffled along quite so much, Yume dug her foot into the ground and turned on her heel.

"Itachi, what's going on!"

He didn't stop walking; in fact as he was walking past Yume he bent down slightly and caught her around the knees, sending her toppling forward and over his awaiting shoulder. He hoisted her into the air and continued moving. Yume sweat-dropped when Tobi waved at her enthusiastically. She started thrashing about madly.

"Put me down! Put me down, put me down, put me do-"

"If you struggle any more your dress is only going to ride up."

Yume's eyes shot wide. She felt the blush shoot across her face then she decided just to flop against Itachi, knowing she'd find out what was going on sooner or later.

It wasn't until five minutes later when she was back in the large limousine that someone actually decided to spill the beans. It was Sasori, after running a hand through his hair and scowling at the cinema building, who said,

"Deidara, that was one of the most, if not the most stupid thing you've ever done."

The blonde guitarist gawked at his friend.

"Excuse me! Are you _CRAZY_, yeah!" He pointed his hand down at the unconscious body on the floor of the limousine. "I just stopped Hidan from _killing_ Itachi's brother!"

Yume stole a quick glance at Itachi- only he didn't seem to care, being more fixated with Kisame and Tobi having an arm-wrestle. She sweat-dropped. Sasori rested his chin on his knuckles.

"But you also punched him unconscious in front of everyone in the cinema; including-" He pointed out of the window at the advancing rose-bushes. "- the press."

Deidara, hearing this was the problem, sat back in his seat and rolled his eyes.

"Is that it? I thought it was something serious, yeah."

Sasori's eyebrows furrowed again.

"You're supposed to take this seriously."

Deidara shook his head.

"It'll be alright, yeah. I'll just be called a violent friend-beating lunatic for a while, then I'll just do some charity work and everything will be fine and dandy again!"

Sasori sighed, sitting back in his seat, defeated and hardly in the mood to argue. Deidara smiled; knowing he'd won the debate. He looked down, seeing the silver-haired idiot lying unconscious on the floor. He poked him idly in the head with his foot. It seemed to amuse him more than he had expected, laughing quite insanely when Hidan didn't even flinch. He looked up a moment later, sensing eyes on him.

"What's up, Yume?" He said curiously. She- seemingly having been in a trance- snapped back to reality.

"Wha-? Oh, uhh, nothing..." She paused, watching Deidara's foot. "...stop poking Hidan."

Deidara raised an eyebrow, almost puzzled by her words. Nevertheless he retracted his foot and slipped it underneath him, sitting on it. Yume smiled.

She looked down at the pale-skinned boy on the floor, studying his face. It seemed to dawn on her as she sat there. Had he... had he really intended on killing Sasuke before? Had it really only been Deidara intervening that had stopped him? Yume shook herself, trying to get rid of the morbid thoughts from her head.

She rose to her feet and walked, well stumbled, across the moving vehicle then leant forward and- much to Deidara's surprise and happiness- wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a hug. The other four occupants of the limousine looked between Yume and Deidara, and Hidan; almost waiting for him to wake up and kill the blonde guitarist on the spot.

Yume pulled away - too soon for Deidara's liking - and said,

"Thank you for stopping Hidan."

Deidara was still slightly dazed.

"Uh- it's... okay, yeah."

Yume gave him another smile, then turned and made her way back to her seat- only half way across the driver decided to go over the top of a speed-bump, sending Yume falling backwards into Deidara's lap, her hand accidentally smacking Tobi in the face.

"Aah! I'm sorry!" She said, fussing over the brunette cradling his face.

"Tobi's been hit! Tobi's been hiiiiiiiiiit!" He cried. Yume didn't even realise where she was sat until about two minutes later when Deidara pushed her forwards off him, muttering with a small blush on his face about how she was shuffling about too much.

oOo

So eventually – after a few more incidents of awkwardness and/or insanity, the limo finally came to a stop outside the familiar sight of Yume's house. She almost let out a sigh of relief. Almost. They may be amazing -and hot- musicians...but there was only so much Yume could take... especially with Tobi hyped up from popcorn and fizzy drinks. Making her way out of the limousine, she called back,

"Bye guys! Thanks for taking me to the cinema! It was-" She was tackled out of the door, hitting the pavement outside. "...- Tobi!"

The brunette buried his face into her neck, hugging her so tightly he was almost cutting off her circulation.

"Tobi wanted a proper good bye!" He whined childishly. Yume rolled her eyes, laughing at him. She patted Tobi on the head, looking over him at the boys in the doorway.

"Are you alright?" Asked Itachi – slightly concerned about the sheer force she had been shoved from the limousine with. Yume smiled, slowly trying to prise Tobi off.

"Yes, I'm fine! Don't worry!"

So after pulling Tobi off – a job only Kisame could manage with his brute strength – Yume said her proper goodbyes to the boys, hugging them all in turn, then she watched them load back into the limo from the top-step of her garden-stairs, waving as the vehicle started up and drove off down the road. After it had turned off down a side-road, Yume turned and opened the door to her house. She walked inside to find all of the lights off. She frowned.

'_That's weird..._'

She flicked the light-switch on and took her shoes off; listening all the while for the familiar sound that seemed to be missing. She walked into the hallway, looking around again.

"Amaya...?" She called uncertainly. She pricked her ear, listening for a reply; only she didn't get one. Where was she?

Yume sighed and walked into the living-room, planning on watching the television for a while before heading off to an early bed. It was only when she sat down that she noticed the note. It was taped to the front of the television. Yume got up, walked over and pulled it off, then she read:

'_I put this on the TV because I knew you'd watch the TV today sometime  
I mean, c'mon it's you :P  
Anyway, I've gone out to a party with Sakura  
She invited you too but you weren't here  
(Too busy raping your bitches I bet ;D)  
I'll be back late. Leave a key out please!  
Love,  
The Awesomely Amazing Amaya! Xxx'_

Yume laughed, rolling her eyes at the note. Trust Amaya.

_'Well,'_ Yume shrugged, _'at least I get some time to myself.'_

_**'Yeah! Without anyone loud to annoy me!'**_

_'Oh great... you're back.'_

_**'Well duh! I haven't been around for a few chapters, the readers were forgetting about me!'**_

Yume slapped her forehead in irritation. She decided just to ignore her brain and switch on the television. She picked up the remote and pressed the power-button. As soon as the program flashed into life and the show started to play, a content smile drifted onto Yume's face and she lay back in her seat comfortably.

oOo

A good few miles away, a certain boy stirred awake. He rolled over and his eyes opened slowly, only to snap open when he realised.

"Why the fuck am I in my room? When the fuck did I get here! What the fuck is going on? When the fucking hell did I leave the cinema- wait...WHERE ARE YUME AND DEIDARA? HOLY FUCK NO!" He jumped from his bed in a panic, ready to storm the academy down to find the blonde he loved and the blonde he hated- only he slipped on a seemingly-randomly placed banana skin. As his face inched closer and closer to the hard _hard_ floor, Hidan could have sworn he saw a camera flash.

There was a loud crash and a scream of pain. "Fuck! My face!"

Kakuzu smiled darkly, almost laughing from inside the wardrobe, looking at the action-shot of Hidan on his camera; dollar-signs for eyes.

"This is going to make me _so_ rich."

oOo

The next morning Yume woke up early – much to her displeasure – because of the soft sound of snoring. She groaned and rolled over; picking up a spare pillow and throwing on the floor in one swift movement. The snoring stopped momentarily, only to start up even louder then next second. Yume groaned again. She heaved herself up in the bed and sat up, her eyes still blurred by sleep. She stretched, yawned, then made her way out of bed. She looked at the clock; '7:00', then her eyes flickered to the golden heart next to it. She smiled lazily then stood up. She stepped over the sleeping form of Amaya and headed out of the room. She went to the bathroom, washed, put her make-up on and got changed into her school-uniform, then headed out and down the stairs. As she made her way to the kitchen she thought: no doubt Amaya had gotten in at some early hour of the morning, so to be nice, Yume was going to make her breakfast! …

Amaya woke up to the smell of burning and the sound of panicked yelling. She winced. Oh great! What more could a girl want with a hangover? She slugged her way out of the room, picking herself up at the staircase and trudging down it slowly. She reached the bottom step, walked into the living room, looked through to the back room and...- Her jaw dropped.

"Yume what are you doing!

The blonde looked up, a large bucket of water in her hands.

"Putting the fire out, obviously."

Amaya sweat-dropped. _'She said that far too casually...-wait...water...electric cooker... OH NO!'_

"Yume, put that bucket down right now, or so help me!"

Yume- who had just been about to chuck the contents of the bucket... plus the bucket onto the flames roaring up from the burning oven – stopped mid-swing.

"What?"

Amaya shook her head. She walked over casually, stole the bucket from Yume, set it down on the table and pulled out her phone. She dialled and put it to her ear. Yume went to reach for the bucket again so Amaya stamped on her foot. Just then someone picked up. Amaya said,

"Yes... … …fire-service... … … twelve Konoha avenu- yes, it's Amaya. Yes she did it again... … … thanks."

Amaya ended the call, grabbed hold of Yume by her school jumper and dragged her from the room, making her way back upstairs to get ready for school.

oOo

It was probably a good thing this had all happened so early in the morning because by the time the firemen had arrived, put out the fire, after Amaya had yelled a lot and thrown random objects at Yume, after Yume had been banned from her own kitchen _forever_ and by the time the two had managed to dash to school like headless chickens –avoiding fanboys in the process- they only just managed to make the home-bell.

They trudged their way into the room, panting and tired from running.

"What's up with you two?" Called Temari from the back of the room, only to be hit by Sakura sat next to her for being too loud. Sakura had a hangover too. Yume and Amaya made their way to the back then Yume explained; her hair slightly singed at the edges,

"There was…uhh…a fire."

Temari rolled her eyes and looked to Amaya.

"She got in the kitchen again?"

Amaya nodded. Yume laughed rather nervously, scratching her cheek.

After registration, Yume and Amaya made their way to maths. Mister Sarutobi. Surprisingly this was a lesson that Amaya could do and actually enjoyed.

They arrived and sat down in their seats- only they had to get back up when they were called to the front of the room. Amaya yelled at the teacher on her way,

"I haven't done anything! FALSE ACCUSEMENT!"

"Quieten down, Amaya, it's nothing like that." Replied Asuma, "It's good."

She was taken aback.

"Uhh… you sure, sir?"

They both arrived at the desk so Asuma said,

"I need you two to help me out. Some of the others are struggling with the work, so I'd like you to buddy up with them and give them a hand."

"Depends who-"

"Sure! We'd love to." Interjected Yume quickly. Asuma smiled at them both.

"Great! Well, looking at test scores," He turned to face the computer, checking over results, "Amaya, you'd better go sit with Chouji, Yume, you go help Naruto."

Yume saw Amaya let out a small sigh of relief from the corner of her eyes. Both Ino and Kimiko were in this lesson. That would have been an awful disaster.

The two went back to their seats then moved to their new respective places. It seemed to come as quite a shock to Naruto when Yume sat down next to him.

"Hi!" She said with a bright smile. The blonde boy seemed stunned into silence, then he grinned back.

"Hi, Yume! Why are you sitting here? Have my dashing good looks and wonderful charms finally made you fall for me?" He said, wiggling his eyebrows. Yume laughed.

"Sorry Naruto, not this time. I got told to tutor you."

Naruto laughed.

"Aahh, don't lie to your heart! You love me really."

Yume smiled. Naruto was such a warm character; always friendly. Yume was glad to have been partnered with him. Just then she looked over to see how Amaya was doing. The pair were sat on the other side of the classroom, happily talking and-… Yume sweat dropped- eating a large packet of crisps in secret. Well, she thought, at least they were getting along.

Yume's eyes widened when she heard the quiet sounds of Akatsuki's latest song playing. Everyone looked at her and instinctively she dived on her bag. Asuma had his eyebrows raised.

"Yume?" He sighed. "Hand it over." He held his hand out. Yume looked at him for a moment, sighed, then reached into her bag for the still-ringing phone. There was a chorus of 'ooooohh's from the other students.

Yume tried to ignore them. It was only when she flipped the lid to turn the phone off that she read the word 'Suigetsu' and became curious.

She handed the phone over reluctantly then looked at Amaya again. The raven-haired girl was looking back. Yume mouthed the word 'Suigetsu' to her. Amaya, registering the name, narrowed her eyes. She replied in an overly-exaggerated mouthing,

'What. Did. He. Want?'

Yume looked at her oddly, then shrugged. Amaya frowned.

"Find out!"

Everyone looked round, wondering about Amaya's random outburst. She didn't really care. Yume looked down at her work, trying to avoid any unnecessary attention.

A few moments later, when everyone was back to doing their work on trigonometry, Naruto leant over- both not understanding the work and curious about the call.

"Hey, Yume, who was that who rang you?"

"Just someone from my band."

Naruto grinned. He started to shuffle about in his chair.

"What did he want?"

Yume rolled her eyes. He and Amaya must have been separated at birth.

"I don't know. I never picked up."

"Oh," Naruto stopped shuffling about in excitement. "That's annoying."

Yume looked at him. "Really?"

"Yeah," He grinned again. "I want to know all the gossip so when you get famous I can spill the beans and get some cash."

Yume laughed and smacked him.

"Oi, no fair!"

He held his hands up in defence.

"Okay, okay! I'm kidding, I'm kidding!"

Yume smiled, dropping her hands.

For the rest of the lesson Yume kept one eye on her phone sat on the desk; wondering why Suigetsu had rung her, and also helped Naruto out with his many _many_ maths problems.

When the bell rang for the end of lesson, Yume packed up her things, said good bye to Naruto then walked over to Amaya. The raven-haired girl grinned and said,

"To the dining-hall? I'm starving."

Yume smiled,

"Yeah sure," She paused. "But I thought you didn't like school food."

She replied with a simple, "I'm hungry."

They walked across the classroom and as they passed, Yume looked at her phone again.

They walked along the corridor in the direction of the dining-hall, avoiding walking into smaller children on the way. Amaya said as they walked through the reception area,

"So I've got catering next- making tiramisu."

"Oh god," Yume said, "Don't get drunk."

Amaya smiled slyly.

"How did you know…?"

Yume rolled her eyes. Amaya seemed to stop so Yume looked back at her.

"What's up?"

Amaya never said anything; she was too bust looking at the visitors' entrance to the reception. Yume looked as well- only she was picked up and launched over someone's shoulder. Having a lot of experience with Kisame, Yume instinctively started to hit the person's back with her fists as hard as she could. It was only when the person yelled, "Oi, Yume, cut it out!" that she stopped. She pushed herself up and looked over her shoulder.

"S-Suigestu? What are you doing?" She paused. "Why are you even here?"

He laughed.

"Nice to see you too."

Yume sagged against him. She seemed to be spending more time in the air than on the ground these days.

"Answer the question."

He grinned a toothy grin.

"Well if you'd bothered to pick up your phone you would know. I'm kidnapping you, obviously."

Yume rolled her eyes.

"You're the reason my phone got confiscated."

He laughed again.

"Really? Oops."

Before Yume could ask any more questions, Suigetsu started to make his way back out of the visitors' entrance. Yume looked at her raven-haired friend.

"You're my bodyguard! Stop him!"

Amaya watched Yume getting further and further away in silence, then she laughed, waving her good bye. Yume frowned and yelled,

"What kind of a bodyguard _are_ you!"

The last thing Yume heard Amaya say before she was dragged from the building was,

"An awesome one!"

Out on the grounds, Yume propped herself up on Suigetsu's back with her elbow and said lazily,

"So where are we going?"

He smirked.

"Minato's limo."

"Really?" She said, raising an eyebrow half-heartedly. "Why?"

"We've got a band-activity to do!"

Yume flopped.

"And couldn't it have waited for after school? You guys are making me miss art!"

Suigetsu frowned.

"You should be happy! It's a great way for us to meet up again! And it's a great bonding experience, we can get clos-"

Yume's eyes became uninterested as she zoned out from the long lecture ahead. She leant back against him and started to pick at his school-jumper absent-mindedly, pulling out threads and tossing them on the ground at his feet as he walked. Maybe if she pulled out enough she could make a trail for someone to follow and come and save her. She zoned in on Suigetsu for a moment, wondering what he was saying, hearing, "-and it's statistically proven that groups who do things together are more likely to stay together-" then zoned out again. What was this band-activity any way? Was it really that important that she be pulled from school to do it? She could hear the fuzzy murmur of Suigetsu's voice still; never wavering; the speech still going strong. Having gotten bored of hearing why she should join in activities more and rather curious as to what the activity actually was, Yume decided to cut him short- or at least tried. She said his name but he seemed ignore her. She sighed. She pushed her self up on his back with both her hands, held her self up in the air, twisted and yelled,

"Suigetsu!"

He jumped slightly, then yelled back,

"WHAT!"

She laughed.

"I give in. Don't torture me any more."

He rolled his eyes.

"Fine, we're nearly there anyway."

Yume had to twist herself again, looking in the direction they were walking. Up ahead, in the near distance there was a large white limousine parked. Yume raised her eyebrows. She had only ever been in that limousine once before when Minato had dropped her and Amaya back at their house. From first glances, it was bigger, more advanced and comfier than Akatsuki's- only she'd never tell them that. It would only bring up Kakuzu's budget cuts again. A fun subject at any time.

She flopped back against Suigetsu, coming in line with the monster of a vehicle. He grinned, feeling her lying against him.

"Don't know why you're getting comfy."

Yume heard the door opening, and the soft voice of Haku say,

"Did you really have to be so brutal?"

"Brutal?" Suigetsu snorted. "I wasn't being brutal. If you want to see brutal-"

Yume felt Suigetsu wrap his hands around her stomach and lift her up off him, setting her down on the ground. He had an odd look in his eye that Yume didn't like. Before she knew what was going on he pushed her forward, making her trip backwards over the door-frame and end up crashing to the red-carpeted ground of the limo.

"Ouch!" She yelled, glaring violently at Suigetsu- who was making his way into the limo. She kicked her foot out, planting it firmly in the centre of his shin. He yelped in pain and toppled over, landing next to her. She laughed. Suigetsu turned and glared, then he threw his arms out and dived on her, attempting to pinch her. She screamed and tried holding him off.

Haku turned to Kimimaro- both of who were watching the scene but not stepping in to help- and said,

"I wish I hadn't said anything."

Kimimaro crossed his arms, watching Yume toss Suigetsu off her, laughing, and said quietly,

"I think Suigetsu's been a bad influence on her."

"Well she only seems to act like this with him so…"

"But still, it might spread-"

The blue-haired boy looked up, rubbing his shin and said,

"I am not a bad influence! We were just messing about."

Yume, picking herself up off the ground, rubbing her back, said in Suigetsu's direction.

"Oh, we were, were we? WHAT WAS WITH TOSSING ME INTO THE LIMO THEN!"

Suigetsu smirked.

"Payback for hitting me in the back."

She rolled her eyes.

Minato, sat in the corner, used to Suigetsu and Yume's antics by now, decided to intervene after banging on the driver's window to signal they should set off.

"Okay, future reference, Yume don't hit him, Suigetsu don't hit, trip or hurt a girl."

They both looked at him open mouthed.

"He kidnapped me-"

"She hit me-"

Haku and Kimimaro started laughing, hearing Suigetsu's attempt at an excuse. He glared. Minato smiled, glad he'd managed to break up the ice then said,

"Yume, did Suigetsu tell you where we're going?"

She shook her head. Kimimaro glared at Suigetsu. He raised his hands in defence.

"I was getting there!"

Minato sighed and continued,

"Well we're going to a photo-shoot at-"

"C-come again?" When the boys looked at her they saw that her face had paled considerably. She was staring wide-eyed at Minato with her mouth agape. "Did you just say a _photo-shoot_?"

Minato looked at her for a moment, pondering his own idea after seeing her reaction, then said- almost as if to reassure himself it was a good idea as much as her,

"Yes. It's a good way to get you guys going in the big world, and I'm good friends with Mei Terumi so-"

Yume cut in,

"_The_ Mei Terumi!" Her face drained of whatever little colour was left, "H-head of Mizukage Studios?"

Minato smiled, trying to give her a little courage, "The very same!"

"But she's-"

"The head of one of the biggest style magazines _ever_!" Screamed Haku very out of character. His eyes seemed to have lit up at the idea of it all. Minato, finally glad to see someone with enthusiasm, said to him,

"I've asked a favour from her and she's agreed to do the shoot- but not only that, she's doing your hair, make-up and outfits too."

Surprisingly it was only Haku who seemed happy about this. Yume was still too shocked about the possibility of being broadcast around the world so soon, and Kimimaro and Suigetsu had heard the word 'make-up' and gone into a flurry, shouting and complaining- well actually, that was only Suigetsu; Kimimaro was sat glaring at Minato.

Poor Minato. He tries to do one nice thing for them and _this _is what he gets? He turned to look out of the tinted window, resting his chin on the side and pouting slightly.

oOo

Half an hour later and they arrived. In those thirty _long_ minutes, Minato had managed to convince Yume and Kimimaro to go along with it, showing it would only prove good for the band- both as an advertisement and a bonding activity. It was just Suigetsu who was throwing a last minute strop as they exited the limousine.

He grabbed hold of his blue hair to emphasise his point.

"-and if they so much as _touch_ my hair I'm not going to be held responsible for my actions! I'm the only one who knows how I like it, so I intend to be the only one who styles it!"

Minato rolled his eyes, slowly banging his forehead against the top of the briefcase held tightly in his hands.

"That's fine, Suigetsu, they won't touch your hair if you don't want them to."

"Good! Oh, and another thing-"

Yume and Haku walked behind them, laughing, their fingers entwined, swinging their hands in front and behind them childishly. They both knew Suigetsu was beginning to push his luck. If he wasn't careful, Minato was going to snap and shave him bald- they could tell.

Kimimaro walked at the back of the group, quiet as usual, watching the four in front of him- one in particular. He thought over what Sasori had said to him; how he should give up on Yume for the good of the band. But was it really that simple? And to look at it another way, if he didn't date her, would she end up with one of the other two? Of course, they were both amazing musicians and Kimimaro admired them deeply for that, but he had also come to terms that they were both hot-headed idiots with too big of a libido and too small of a brain. Yume didn't deserve to end up with someone like that. She was too…- he watched her swinging her hands back and forth with Haku-… innocent. Well then, he thought, maybe it was best if he _did_ date her, just to protect her if nothing else.

He looked past the group, towards the vast building in front of them. It was over ten stories high and thirty meters long, covered in large diamond-shaped objects that glittered in the sun-light. At the top of the building, in large blue lettering, read: 'Mizukage Studio'. Even he had to raise his eyebrows. It was quite some building.

Minato stopped them just outside the doors.

"Alright guys, I'm going to warn you now, Mei is a little -how to put this politely- flamboyant?" He saw them raise their eyebrows. "Uh… you'll see."

And with that he opened the two glass doors and walked inside, the four band members following behind. Yume realised what he meant in an instant when after the second she had walked through the threshold, she had been grabbed hold of and pulled off somewhere as a voice rang through-out the building.

"Okay, let's get to work guys! Get the girl to hair and make-up, the boys to wardrobe and Minato, get to my office, we need a good old catch-up."

And that was the last Yume saw of the others for quite some time…

She was whizzed down a corridor and thrown head first into a brightly-lit room; miraculously landing upright in a chair, then without warning she was surrounded and pounced on by a team of people holding blusher-brushes and eye-lash curlers. She almost screamed in shock. Goodness knows what she'd look like by the end of this. It was quite some time before Yume could see anything apart from fast-working hands, but when they pulled away and she _could_ see something, the first thing she saw came as quite a surprise. She almost wanted to laugh.

"You?" She said, amazed. "I never thought I'd see you here!"

When Yume saw the boy with the pudding-bowl haircut produce a pair of scissors from the apron over his usual green jumpsuit, her smile faltered. "Uhh… Lee?"

Lee gave her a toothy grin, then turned his attention from her and called to the make-up crew,

"Guys, you've done a great job on her face but I need some alone time with her to work my magic!"

With that, the men and women left the room; some of the women muttering and blushing as they passed by Lee. Yume stared incredulously. When the room was empty save she and Lee, she asked,

"Uhh... Lee… care to explain?"

He laughed, pulling out a comb.

"I would love to, Yume, but first, how would you like me to do your hair?"

She nearly choked. She stole a glance at Lee's shiny black hair.

"M-my hair? You? My hair? You and my hair? Really?"

Lee chuckled.

"What is so hard to understand, Yume? I need to know how you would like your hair so I can style it right."

Yume gave up. She realised there were going to be many more weird and insane things along the way- hopefully none quite as crazy as Lee being her hairdresser – so she may as well go with the flow.

Lee turned her chair round so that she was facing away from him, then she felt his hand take one of her two pigtails and pull it out, then he picked up a brush and started to gently remove the knots from her hair. As he did so, he said,

"You can tell me how you want it when we get there then. Now I will answer your question. I'm here because Mei Terumi asked me to be. She says I am her 'undiscovered hair magician'." Yume laughed. "It started a couple of months ago," He pulled the rest of Yume's hair from the other pigtail. "I was coming home after my after-school training with Gai-sensei when I saw Miss Terumi crying at a bus-shelter. Being the gentleman I am, I asked what the matter was," He started brushing Yume's hair again. "It turned out her hairdresser could not make it and she had to go to a live premier for something that evening. I said I would do all that I could to help her, and though I had never picked up a pair of hair-scissors before, I found myself styling up Miss Terumi's hair there in that bus shelter with a pair of scissors she had in her purse." Lee's chest filled with pride at the memory. "She said I had done a wonderful job and asked if I would become part of her team here at the magazine."

The whole time Lee had been talking, Yume had been building up a laugh inside her and it was almost bursting through. She had never _ever_ expected Lee – of all people – to be a closet hair-dresser. Still, she thought, if he was good at it, who was she to judge? She swallowed the laugh and said,

"That's amazing, Lee! It's a really good profession!"

He smiled.

"Thank you, Yume." He dropped the last few strands of her hair then grabbed the back of her chair and swung it round so she was facing him. "Now how would you like your hair?"

Yume didn't know what to say.

"Uhhh…"

Lee grinned again. "You know, I think I have the perfect image for you. In your old band you always used to have your hair in two straight pigtails on the side of your head, so why not go in the opposite direction?"

"Uhh… huh?"

Before she had time to ask, Lee almost dived on her, taking up the scissors and getting to work. Yume's stomach twisted. Oh Lee better get this right. She watched the bits of cut hair fall from all around her face, dropping on the floor by her feet. Lee was a quick worker, getting round her head in a matter of minutes, then he stopped at the front, gently snipping away at her fringe. She closed her eyes. Oh if only she had a mirror. Lee left her fringe and produced a bobble, pulling all of her hair into one hand.

Five minutes later and Lee drew back, wiping his brow and looking her over.

"Yume, I must say, you do look amazing."

Yume asked very uncertainly,

"Do you have a mirror?"

"Of course!" He said, closing the door to the room, revealing a large mirror on the other side of the wood. Yume got up out of the seat and walked over slowly, closing her eyes as if too scared to look. Lee stepped out of her way so she could see. When she got in front of the mirror she opened one eye slightly, just to peep, then she saw her reflection, gasped, and snapped the other open.

"Oh my- Lee… I look… thank you." Was all she could muster. Her hair had been put up into a large pony-tail that sat on the top of her head, a beautiful sequinned hair-piece holding it in place, and her once messy, untamed fringe had been shaped into a gentle arch across her forehead with two larger bangs, one at each end to frame her face. She had completely changed. It looked so different. She turned on her heel.

"Lee, thank you. It looks- _AUGH_!" She had to cover her face quickly as Lee pressed down on the aerosol-canister, sending a large spray over her head. He stopped and said, laughing slightly,

"Sorry. Hairspray."

Yume smiled, blinking rapidly to stop her eyelashes sticking together,

"Thanks."

"That is fine, Yume, I am glad you like it!" He pulled out a whistle and blew on it, "Someone will take you to wardrobe now. I hope the shoot goes well."

Just then someone came into the room. They took hold of Yume and pulled her along. Just before she left the room, Lee added,

"Yume. Please do not tell anyone about this yet."

She smiled, being pulled from the room. She had to yell back,

"I won't!"

A few minutes later and Yume was pushed into another room, though this time it was much larger, and there were more people in it; although more spread out. Unlike last time, Yume was allowed a moment to stand in the doorway before someone walked over and showed her in the right direction. She was brought through a large crowd of people, out the other side and over to a chair, around which a team lay waiting. It was as she was sitting down that she saw another group of people walking by, and in the middle of that group was Kimimaro. He noticed her, although Yume didn't know if he recognised her at first because he glanced at her and looked away, then looked back and waved slightly. She waved back just before he was ushered off.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder so she turned her head, only to be bombarded with clothes. As she was thrown into different outfits, a voice called from over the top of her,

"No, no, red is a _NO_! We don't want her looking like she's out of a burlesque group! No! Get that purple away from her!" There was a pause. "Now that is a nice blue. Put that with that- and oh, grab those shoes from before! Guys! I think we have ourselves an outfit!"

Yume was dived on again, people throwing her into goodness knows what. She resurfaced when someone called,

"Let me see!"

The team moved away, only to reveal a woman all dressed in blue, her long red hair flowing about her like a veil. Next to her stood Minato; looking at Yume with an air of pride. The woman walked forward and clapped her hands together.

"My, you look stunning, dear! Here, have a mirror!"

As if by magic she produced a long mirror into which Yume could see her reflection. For the second time that day, Yume was stunned into silence. As she was staring at herself, Minato leaned over to Mei and whispered,

"You do realise she can't wear that for the band? It is a _rock_ group after all."

The woman waved her hand about.

"I know, I know, but I just couldn't resist. She'll look so cute on the front cover of my magazine- and with three good-looking guys stood with her, my sales will sky-rocket."

Minato's eyes bulged.

"Sshhh!"

He looked to Yume. He let out a sigh of relief when he realised she was too stunned by her reflection to have heard about the 'front-page' thing. Deciding to move swiftly on, he called to Yume,

"Let's get a move on. We need to get the shoot done. The other three are ready; we're just waiting for you!"

"Oh, right!" Yume said, looking away from the mirror and walking to Minato- slightly unsteadily on the high-heeled sandals she was wearing. When she got there he tucked his arm under her shoulders and gave her that little bit of extra support she needed before she could find her feet. Mei went to the front of the group, then Minato and Yume followed her out of the room and along the corridor, ending at an elevator. They entered it and it set off, heading to the top floor. Mei said to Yume,

"We take our photo shoots on the top floor because it's best lit there. During the day we can just use the sunlight- saves on electricity bills, you know?" She giggled. Yume gave her a smile, then when the elevator came to a stop she refused Minato's arm and said she'd be fine to walk as she was, but thanked him anyway. The moment the doors opened, Yume could see the large studio in front of her. The whole room was like a green-house, the walls made entirely of glass- needless to say it was also stiflingly hot. Mei stepped out first and clapped her hands.

"Alright guys, lets get a move on- and can someone turn the air-con on p-_lease_?"

All at once people started to scurry around the large room, grabbing equipment or sorting the lighting screens out.

Minato walked out first; spotting the other three boys, then Yume followed behind him, concentrating on not falling over rather than anything else.

Haku was the first to spot them approaching. He tapped Kimimaro on the shoulder and pointed. Kimimaro turned. He had trouble stopping his jaw from dropping. Yume was walking towards them, looking more like a porcelain doll than a human. She was dressed in a baby-blue summer top, two simple straps to hold it up and frills on the hems, along with a dark-blue tartan mini-skirt with white petticoat to hold it out, and matching baby-blue high-heeled sandals. She smiled when she reached them.

"Wow, don't you three look amazing!"

They were all dressed in a similar style with tight-fitting black skinny jeans, a black dress-shirt, white waistcoat, their long hair held back in messy pony-tails and Haku had a scarf that he held tightly in his hands, admiring the soft feel against his skin. Suigetsu grinned, seeing Yume in her new look.

"Well aren't we looking prettied up today?"

She laughed, giving him a playful shove. Just then Mei clapped her hands.

"Alright folks, lets get this show on the road- first I want some group shots, then individuals."

The four friends were ushered in front of the camera, where Mei instructed them how to stand. Most of the shots were taken with Yume at the front; being the shortest and the only girl, on either side of her Haku and Kimimaro, with Suigetsu at the back; being the tallest of the group. At first Yume was very nervous, making her stiff and obviously not relaxed, but after a short time – involving a quick tickle-attack from Suigetsu behind her – she relaxed and managed to pose properly, and in fact she rather enjoyed it.

It was actually Kimimaro who volunteered to go first for the individual shots, though when he was handed a cane and a top hat he realised he'd made a bad choice. He looked over to Minato.

"Really?"

Minato shrugged.

"Just go along with it."

He let out a small sigh of defeat and put the hat on, walking back in front of the camera. Mei waved her hands frantically.

"Okay dear, tilt the hat forward a little and to the right- yeah, so it's covering one eye! Great! Now, left hand on your hip, cross your foot over and lean on the stick! That's a good boy!"

Yume laughed, seeing him muttering unmentionable curses under his breath. Suigetsu called out as the camera flashed,

"Yeah! All the gay guys will love you!"

Kimimaro's grip tightened on the cane. Suigetsu stepped back, knowing he may have to make a quick run for it at any second. Yume and Haku stifled their laughter. Kimimaro was instructed a few more times into different positions, then when he was done it was Suigetsu's turn. As he and Kimimaro walked past each other, the white-haired boy 'accidentally' stuck his foot out, causing Suigetsu to trip and roll comically into position in front of the camera. He was handed another top hat and given a helping-hand up, then Mei called to him, Kimimaro already walking over to see his own pictures,

"Alright, hat on, tilt forward- ha, I guess you don't need any advice then."

Suigetsu was already posing and waiting, holding the hat forward with one hand and winking at the camera. The others couldn't help but laugh. As his photo shoot got under-way Yume walked over – with a little help from Haku – to where some of the staff were showing Kimimaro his photographs. Yume peeped over his shoulder.

"Hey, that one's good!" She put her hands on his shoulders and leant closer, trying to see it better. "Aww, you're smiling too! You look so nice!"

Kimimaro gave a small smile, knowing that his face was covered from view by Yume, and looked through the rest of the pictures. Yume and Haku gave small commentaries over each shot, then looked up with a start when Mei called,

"Yume, you're up!"

"R-right!"

She left the other two and passed Suigetsu on the way; who flicked the hat off his head and rolled it down his arm, holding it out for Yume. She rolled her eyes.

"I don't think I need that."

"You do!" Called Mei from the side. "And the cane!"

"Huh?"

Yume took the hat from Suigetsu then walked out in front of the camera; where a cane was thrown at her. Holding them both for a second, she felt like she should burst into song and dance, but decided against it. Just then she heard a scraping sound, then Mei called to something behind her,

"Aah, don't drag it! Pick it up and carry it, it's not heavy! Honestly, use your common-sense, Ao!"

Yume looked around, seeing a stately-looking dinner chair being brought forward.

"What's that for?" She asked curiously. The man with paper ear-rings set the chair down and walked off, then Mei said,

"Well for you to sit on, of course! Now just twist it round so the back's to the camera, then sit in it, leg on either side."

Yume looked at the seat for a second, then down at her short skirt. This wasn't going to work… She twisted the chair, then sat down on it slowly, a leg on either side; holding her skirt purposefully down at the front. She heard Mei giggle.

"Oh you do look cute when you're blushing!"

Yume sighed.

"Hey!"

She blushed even more when the three boys looked up to see what the matter was. Mei giggled again.

"Alright guys, so she doesn't have to move; giving us a wonderful view," Kimimaro and Suigetsu looked up. Haku beat them both around the head. "Go sort out her hat for her and grab that cane."

At once a group of three women ran out in front of the camera and closed in around Yume. They took hold of the top-hat and put it on the side of her head, then held it in place with a couple of hat-pins. One of the women bent down and purposefully pinned the bottom two layers of petticoat to the chair, giving Yume the use of her hand again and making her feel much more comfortable. She was handed the cane and then the three ladies ran off. Mei smiled.

"Okay! Lean your head forward over the chair, wrap your hands round the sides and hold the stick. Tilt your head a bit- no, a bit more- there! Now link your feet- Aah! Perfect!"

The camera flashed. Yume had a few more photos taken, each time having to be unpinned and repinned into a different position, but by the end of it she was in the swing of things and having a good time – not minding so much about the rather more rambunctious positions. Apart from one, that is. When Mei said that she should lie down on the chair, hang her arms down, hook one leg over the chair and throw the other in the air – as much as the others egged her on to do it – she down right refused.

As Haku was having his shoot, Yume walked back over to where Kimimaro and Suigetsu were stood with their monitors, looking at their own photographs. Suigetsu grinned and turned his around.

"What do you think?"

Yume looked at the photo. The Suigetsu in the picture was holding the top-hat in his mouth and smiling devilishly, his hands imitating unfastening the buttons on his shirt. She rolled her eyes.

"Lovely."

Kimimaro leant over and passed her monitor so she could look through her own shots. She took it off him, thanked him, then darted away so the other two couldn't see the pictures over her shoulder. She went to one corner of the room and sat down against the glass wall, putting the monitor in her lap. She flicked the screen on and looked at the first picture. She blushed. It was hard to say how she looked. For one, it didn't really look like _her_ at all; what with her hair done up, the make-up put on and the clothes she was wearing, she hardly recognised herself. Yet that didn't stop her smiling. She liked the picture; there was no doubt about that. She started to look through the rest of the shots with interest, grimacing at a couple here and there, but in total she thought they were really well done.

She looked up when Minato called her name.

"Yes?"

"Come here, they want one more shot."

"Alright," She said, picking herself up off the ground. She walked over and joined the group, then Minato said,

"They want one of all five of us together."

She grinned.

"Great!"

Without another word said they all walked out in front of the camera and stood; Minato in the middle, Yume and Haku next to him and Suigetsu and Kimimaro on the outer side. Just as the photographer was about to take the shot, Mei yelled,

"Wait!"

They all looked at her.

"What's wrong?" Asked Minato. She smiled.

"Minato, you're not wearing a hat!"

His face filled with a sudden panic then he looked at the four teens around him,

"It's okay, they're not either!"

"I know," She giggled. "But I want you to wear one!"

"But-"

"No buts mister Uzumaki!" She walked out in front of the camera, brandishing an overly-sized top hat. With a little resistance from Minato she put the hat on him and grinned. "You look great!"

He thought otherwise. He looked at Yume and Kimimaro to his left. They both cracked a small smile, hiding their laughter. He sighed. Mei called from the front,

"Alright guys, on the count of three yell Konoha Chibi Parade and throw a pose!" She held her hand up.

"1!"

"2!"

"3!"

The camera flashed.

oOo

The next day Yume was the second person awake, even though she was extremely early. Amaya had gotten up before her just to make sureshe stayed out of the kitchen. When Yume walked into the living-room, almost dead to the world, Amaya called through to her,

"Hey, Yume, there's a package here for you!"

She looked up from the sofa. It was too early to be excited over anything. She trudged her way into the kitchen- though Amaya held her at arms length with a spatula- and looked at the table. On it lay a large square package, and on that box were the words 'YUME CHILES. 10 COPIES FOR FREE. LOVE MEI! X'

Yume sat puzzling at the words for a moment, not understanding. It was only when Amaya asked who Mei was that she realised.

"Oh! It must be the magazine." She looked up at Amaya, who in turn looked shocked.

"Magazine? What magazine?"

Yume hadn't told Amaya where she'd gone to yesterday as a pay-back for being a failure as a bodyguard.

Yume took hold of the package and picked it up, taking it through to the living room. If it _was_ the magazine, Yume thought, Mei must have printed it at lightning speed. She set it down on the coffee table then picked up a pair of scissors. She stabbed the scissors into the top of the box and cut it open. As she was doing this, Amaya made her way into the room, curious to see what the fuss was. She snuck up behind Yume on the sofa just as she was opening the box-flaps. First she saw Yume's face pale, then she looked into the box herself.

"No way!" She said, shocked and amazed.

Yume looked in horror at the front cover of the magazine. It was the band- but not only the band. It was the group photo of the band- the final one where they had been told to do their own poses. Yume wanted to cry. She'd stuck her tongue out and done a peace-sign and everything.

Amaya leant over her and took hold of another copy.

"Yume, this is freakin' amazing!" She started flicking through the magazine. "This is what you were doing yesterday? I wondered why you looked different!" Yume patted her fringe subconsciously. "Hey-" She said, stopping on another page. "Here you are again!"

Yume looked over her shoulder. Amaya was ogling the page. Yume reached up and took the magazine from her, taking a look at what she'd seen. When she had hold of it, Amaya pointed to a picture and growled.

"And who's that lovely guy then?"

Yume laughed. Amaya faltered and looked at her oddly.

"What?"

"That's Suigetsu."

"Huh?" Amaya looked back at the picture, then her eyes grew to the size of plates. She threw her hands in the air and yelled, shocked and horrified. "HUH? Eww! Ewwwwwww! I take it back- though I've got to say it doesn't look like him- but still! EWWW!"

Yume laughed again, covering her ears.

She handed the copy back to Amaya, then turned to the right page in her own copy, looking at the pictures. Right in the middle of the two-page-spread read: '_Konoha Chibi Parade! Stars on the rise?' _And around it were dotted pictures and quotes from Minato and a few fans from the concerts. She had to admit, it did look good. On the left page, just above the picture of Suigetsu winking, there was another picture of her. She was sat on the chair very lady-like, her legs crossed and both hands placed on the cane. The only thing that gave the elegance away was the large grin on her face. Yume laughed at it in spite of herself.

As she pulled the rest of the copies from the box, a note fluttered to the floor. It was actually Amaya who spotted it first. She bent down and picked it up, then read,

"Dear Yume, I hope you like the shots we used of you. I got them working extra shifts to get the magazine printed last night. I've given you ten copies so keep one for yourself then give them out to your friends, and don't forget to advertise my magazine around school- blah blah blah."

Amaya scrunched up the note and tossed it back in the box. Yume rolled her eyes. She looked down at the nine copies of 'Mizukage' in her lap, wondering what best to do with them. Burn them in the fire possibly? No, that wouldn't work. People were going to see them anyway. Well, for now she could just put them in her room and decide what to do with them later.

Deciding on this, she scooped up the nine copies and put them back into the box, then turned to Amaya.

"Do you want to keep that?" She said, pointing at the magazine Amaya held tightly in her grasp. The raven-head nodded enthusiastically. Yume gave her a weak smile, turned, then picked up the box and headed back upstairs. For some reason she knew it was going to be a long week.

oOo

Yume realised she was right when, as soon as she'd walked through the school gates and down the steps, a hoard of girls and boys alike dived on her, screaming a mixture of her name and the band name at once. Amaya, finally deciding she was going to her job properly, walked back up to the top step of the stairs, turned on her heel then stage-dived into the crowd, screaming,

"Get out of the mother-fuckin' way you bunch of pansies!"

There were a few screams, a few yelps, and one case of "You broke my nose, you bitch!" then Amaya surfaced from the pile, Yume held around the wrist. She dragged her friend from the mob, dusted herself off then started walking towards the form-room as if nothing had happened. Yume bent over, trying to catch her breath for a moment, then hobbled after Amaya. As soon as she'd caught up, Amaya said,

"Whew, do you think it's going to be like that all day?"

Yume nodded with a grimace. Amaya grinned, cracking her neck.

"Oh good."

Yume had to let out a small laugh.

Through-out the rest of the school day, Yume was dived on twice, pushed into a locker three times by Amaya, a class-room once, and Amaya had a good old time beating the crap out of anyone she could get her hands on.

Yume was glad to hear the end of school bell. Sat at the back of her English class-room she packed up her things, through her school bag over her shoulder and pulled out her phone. She'd felt it go off in lessons – having put it on silent after last time – and looked at the '1 Missed Call: Withheld'

She frowned slightly. As Temari made her way over, Yume pressed the recall button and held the phone up to her ear. It rang twice, then someone picked up.

"Hello, this is Kyuubi Music Corporation. May I ask who is calling?"

Yume seemed stunned.

"Uhh, Yume Chiles. I have a missed call from you?"

"Ah," The voice said. "Yes, Mister Uzumaki called you. I'll just put you through now."

"Thank you."

Temari looked at her curiously. She mouthed the words 'band stuff' then heard someone say in her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Minato. Did you ring me?"

"Ah! Hello Yume, yes I did! I was just ringing to tell you that I've scheduled a concert for you for the sixteenth of April." She heard him chuckle. "It seems Mei managed to get us a lot of attention and people are curious. They want to hear you play! I'll talk to all four of you properly about it at the weekend, but I have to get off now-"

"But that's only ten days away!"

"Don't worry, you'll be fine."

And with that, he hung the phone up. Yume pulled her own phone from her ear and sagged. Temari asked her,

"What's up?"

Not once lifting her head, she said,

"Concert. Ten days. Lots of people."

Temari laughed, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Aah, you'll be alright. Just practice a load- and get me a ticket this time! Oh, and Sakura- And Amaya- Oh and Hinata! Of course Hinata- possibly Tenten. Neji might want to see it, Lee will, Kankuro, Shikamaru might-"

Yume walked away, Temari annoyingly following behind, counting off names as they went. As they made their way from the classroom, Yume dazed off. Inside her head, she added to the list of people to buy tickets for.

'_Hidan, Deidara, Tobi, Itachi, Sasori, Kisame. They'll only throw a tantrum if I don't.' _She paused in her step. _'And I'll have to make time to see them during practice or else…' _She laughed, seeing the mental image of Hidan crossing his arms and pouting as she tells them she's hanging out with her band instead of them.

She gave out a sigh. There was so much going on at the moment. A new band, prom, becoming increasingly and uncomfortably famous, learning to live alone – or as alone as you can when Amaya's around – she hadn't even thought of leaving school until now.

There's a thought. Yume had no idea what she was going to do. What with the new band, would she just go on tour with them and live off the profit? She didn't even know if she wanted to carry onto collage, or even go onto university afterwards. As Yume walked past it, she contemplated banging her head against the English-block wall.

'_So…much…going on. My brain's going to melt.'_

Just up ahead she saw Amaya waving, coated in flour and grinning like a Cheshire-cat. She laughed. It was just the little things that truly made her smile. She ran up to Amaya and started talking, discussing about the upcoming concert. If Yume thought her life was busy now, she should wait until after the concert.

* * *

_I'm so sorry about the ending to that chapter. Inspiration left me at the worst possible moment! On the plus side (does a little dance) I got my chapter out by Christmas! WaHOOOOOOO! I hope you liked it! Next chapter I'm going to slow the pace down (because we all know I stuffed too much into this chapter) and you'll all get to see more of the 'romance' side of things, and Yume might even be having a little date_

_Deidara:__ Don't go spoiling everything at once, yeah_

_Me:__ I won't, I won't, I'm just trying to keep them interested, damn it!_

_Deidara:__ (laughs)_

_Me:__ (Turns to reader) Well, as you obviously know, I won't be getting another chapter out before the new year (pokes Deidara for prompt)_

_Both:__ Merry Christmas and a very Happy new year (yeah)!_

_X-Deidara's Lover-x_


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own anyone from Naruto!

Claimer: I own Yume and Amaya! LEAVE THEM ALONE!

Deidara: Don't mind Sarah, yeah, she's just exhausted

Me: (crying pathetically) It's 00:09 and I'm tired! See how much I love you guys? I've stayed up this late just to get a chapter out because I felt so guilty for leaving it so long!

Deidara: (Pats Sarah on the back) Want to go to bed now, yeah?

Me: Yes please (gives puppy-eyes)

Deidara: (Picks Sarah up, then turns to readers) Alright, hope you enjoy it, and for this one's sake (points to Sarah), review alright? She worked hard, yeah

* * *

Chapter 16

It had come as quite a shock and welcomed surprise when Yume was told that her concert had been rescheduled to in a month's time instead of just one week, but even so – even with enough extra time on her hands to get her studies done _and_ see the Akatsuki boys a few times as well – when it actually came to the concert, it seemed far too soon for her liking. As Minato had forewarned her there were more people at this concert than any she'd done before; possibly even more than when she had done the concert with Akatsuki those many months ago. This was because, since the deadline had been prolonged, there had been more time for advertisements – and so now the concert seemed to be one of those greatly anticipated events you hear about on TV.

Having practised together more than four nights a week, Yume and the other members of Konoha Chibi Parade played to the best of their abilities – and judging from the loud applause after each and every song they had definitely improved since first forming the band. As expected, and to Minato's utmost glee, after the friends finished their final song together, there was a standing ovation from the crowd and chants of an encore.

Once the concert was over and the signings and greetings had been made to the fans, it was only then that Yume finally had enough time to take a sigh of relief. She leaned up against the wall of the stage and bent down, her hands clutched to her knees, taking shaky breaths and grinning from ear to ear. With no one in earshot she said to herself quietly,

"That was amazing…I've never-…"

She'd never felt so alive. That feeling she had had when she had been stood on stage, her friends playing frantically behind her; it felt as though all the stresses, all the nights of running over lyrics to songs, all the times she'd had to lock Amaya out of the house to get her work done; it had finally paid off.

Yume pulled herself up from the wall, stretching her arms out wide and sighing again, this time more from contentment than from relief. She watched her friends packing up their equipment for a moment then looked to her own microphone at the front of the stage. As the others were close to finishing now she decided to dismantle it and put it away.

She walked over, a small spring in her step, and picked the microphone stand up, twirling it around her as if it were her dance partner for a moment, then she set it back down and knelt at the base of the stand, tipping it over so that it was on the floor, then began to take it apart. As she worked she tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear, giggling as it fell back in front of her eyes moments later.

She still kept her hair in the high pony-tail Lee had put it in at the photo shoot, preferring it now much more than the old pigtails she had once had. That old hairstyle was only a reminder of her old band – only if it could be called a 'band' of course. They had never once played a live concert. The same could be said for her new outfit. Mei, after hearing the great reception of her magazine-article on Konoha Chibi Parade, had sent over the clothes to Yume as a gift. Yume had been more than happy to accept them – even the high-heeled sandals – as they replaced the dreary gothic look Ino had put her in. When Yume had first shown up at band practice in her new outfit, Minato had almost thrown a fit, explaining that rock bands needed a certain image; only Yume pushed the idea that rock was individual and shouldn't be held with one label, and, with help from the other band members, from then on she was allowed to keep the clothes she had grown so fond of.

'_A new band, a new image.'_

Yume smiled to herself, placing the last piece of the stand into a briefcase and then closed the lid. She looked up moments later after hearing a crash. Kimimaro had dropped one of his drums. Keeping the embarrassment to himself he bent down, picked up the drum and strode off-stage to where the rest of his drums were kept.

After the photo shoot the others had changed back into their old outfits, but of course they never had any bad memories hidden under their clothing.

Yume smiled when she saw Minato appear on the stage across from her. Behind him walked a team of crew-members, each carrying something or discussing matters in urgent whispers. Minato strode ahead, leaving them behind and walked to Haku, patting him gently on the shoulder.

"Well done, you should be very proud of yourselves, guys!" He beamed with pride. "That was a great show!"

Once successfully grabbing everyone's attention, even Kimimaro once he'd reappeared on the stage, Minato took a clipboard from one of the crew-members and read over it carefully, leaving the others in quiet anticipation for a moment, then said aloud,

"You guys caught a lot of attention today and we've got a few sponsor offers, I'm happy to say!" He looked down at the sheet of paper in front of him again and read from the list, "You'll probably be happy to hear we have Mizukage Studios on board, as well as other offers from 'Soup of Life', the Suna Oasis resort-chain, The Inuzuka Dog School," Yume laughed quietly to herself, wondering what it would be like to be sponsored by Kiba's parents, "and a few smaller clothing ranges." After finishing the list, Minato looked up with a smile on his face. "Since you'll be wearing their sponsors, who do you want to choose? At the moment we can take on two groups."

There was a quiet pause where the group looked between one another then, with Yume voicing the collective thoughts in one energetic outburst, she replied,

"Mizukage!"

Minato didn't wait for a confirmation from the others; he knew Mizukage would have been their first choice.

"Glad to hear it, Yume!" He ticked the paper just next to the name and looked up again, this time waiting for the more anticipated reply. The friends looked between themselves again, this time looking more thoughtful than before. After a moment Haku spoke up, pointing something out to the others.

"Well if we're keeping Mizukage then it's probably rude to accept offers from any other clothing range-" He glanced at Yume who nodded at him in agreement, then carried on, "And being sponsored by food is a no, so…"

Seeing Haku start to lose his trail of thought, Kimimaro decided to join in the conversation.

"I suggest that we go with the Suna resorts. It will attract attention from a wider range; tourists who visit the resorts and such-"

"-Yeah! We can get them to put up posters in the hotels and sell merchandise in the shops!" Interjected Suigetsu, cutting his friend short. He bounced up and down on the balls of his feet, eager to hear what the others had to say to his 'masterful thinking'. Minato looked at him momentarily, then flickered his eyes between the other three; taking in their own opinions, then he smiled as he ticked the piece of paper again.

"Great," He pulled the clipboard in close to him and wrapped his arms around it. "Well then I'll go and inform them now, then we can set off home."

With this said he turned and walked away into the group of crew-members and disappeared off the side of the stage.

Now with only the four band members again, they each reverted back to clearing up their equipment. Yume, having already cleared up her microphone, decided to help out Kimimaro as he was the one with the most equipment to move- and at the moment he looked like he needed help.

Yume scurried over and caught the cymbal that had just dropped from Kimimaro's grip, then gave him her usual friendly smile.

"Need a hand?"

Kimimaro gave her a wordless nod so she pulled another small drum from the pile he held in his arms and said, pointing with her head,

"Over there, right?"

Kimimaro looked to where she was pointing – off-stage – and nodded.

"Yes, with the rest of them." He shuffled the three smaller drums in his arms, "Thank you, Yume."

"It's alright!"

She turned on one heel and skipped towards the side of the stage, disappearing behind the screens.

Now backstage she looked around, then noticing the rest of the drum kit by a wall she made her way over and placed the two drums on the ground. As she turned, Kimimaro appeared backstage holding a snare drum in one hand and a pedal in the other. She stepped aside for him then started up a conversation.

"It went really well tonight, didn't it?"

The white-haired boy set the pedal down on the ground then stood up, dusting his hands off.

"It did. I'm glad because after all the hard work we put in, it would have been a shame if it didn't go well, right?"

Yume leaned back on the wall next to her, contemplating for a moment, then she cracked a grin.

"Yeah, you're right. I think Suigetsu's would've bawled like a baby."

Kimimaro chuckled.

"Since he missed so many water '_hockey'_ practices."

Yume laughed, knowing what Suigetsu had really been missing. She pushed away from the wall on her hands, holding herself out from it.

"Ah, now all I want to do is take some time off and relax!"

Kimimaro nodded in agreement, locking the snare-drum back into place on his drum-kit. Yume watched him working with interest then cocked her head when he stopped suddenly. He rose to his full height and turned to look at her.

"I've just had an idea."

"Oh?"

"If you want to take time to relax-" He paused momentarily and at the same time Suigetsu appeared backstage. "-Why don't you come for that meal with me tomorrow, like you said you would?"

Yume had a faint recollection of the last time he had asked her out for a meal; she would have gone with him had it not been for her already-scheduled prom-dress shopping spree with Amaya that day. Thinking it over, it really would be the perfect way to relax. What was more fun than spending a meal with one of your best friends? And at least this way Yume wouldn't be yelled at for 'walking within fifteen meters when Amaya is cooking'. She shuddered at the thought of what had happened last time…

Yume shook herself.

"Sure, I'd love to!"

Just then Suigetsu seemed to appear in between them.

"Great! Can I come?"

Kimimaro's eyes turned steely just long enough for Suigetsu to notice before looking back at Yume with his warm expression. Suigetsu had the sudden feeling he was going to feel pain later for asking such an obviously stupid question…- Ah, who cared? If Kimimaro was paying then FREE MEAL!

"No, you can't."

Yume looked between the pair inquisitively.

"Umm… why can't he, Kimimaro?"

The boy in question replied quickly; almost as if it had been rehearsed,

"Suigetsu has water-aerobics tomorrow."

Suigetsu gasped and at the same time Yume creased over laughing.

"I forgot I had water _**hockey**_!"

Yume looked up, her eyes watering.

"Suigetsu, what's the point? We all know you do water-aerobics."

He glared down at her, then, after throwing his nose in the air, stalked back off onto stage to finish tidying up. Once he was gone, Yume pushed herself off the wall and smiled at Kimimaro.

"So it-"

Her phone started to ring. She looked at Kimimaro apologetically then reached down into her pocket and pulled it out, knowing the 'Dora the Explorer' ring-tone all too well. She held the phone up to her ear and said,

"Hello Amaya-" She had to pull the phone away from her ear. Kimimaro raised his eyebrows amusedly.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, WOMAN!"

Yume sighed, putting the phone back to her ear.

"I'm still at the concert."

A whimpering voice replied, almost on the brink of tears,

"But the concert finished an hour-and-a-half ago…"

"Don't worry, Amaya. I'll be home soon."

The voice flared up again.

"Yeah you better be, OR I'M LOCKING YOU OUT OF THE HOUSE!"

Yume's jaw dropped open.

"Hey! It's _my_ house!"

"Tch, I've been living here for aaaaaages -"

"-Two months-"

"-So it's my house too!"

With this said Amaya hung up the phone. Yume looked across at Kimimaro on the ground, who had his eyebrows raised more out of shock now, and laughed. She dropped her hand to her side and slid the phone back into her pocket.

"I guess I'd better get going then. 'Don't want to be sleeping outside tonight."

He gave her an understanding nod, picking himself up off the floor.

"Have a safe trip."

Yume smiled at him, scooping up her bag.

"Thanks," She gave him a short wave then turned and made her way back onto the stage, calling back, "I'll see you tomorrow!"

As she left his sight Kimimaro sighed. Tomorrow was going to be interesting, he could tell.

Yume ran up to Suigetsu and Haku, wanting to say goodbye to them before she left. She tapped Haku on the shoulder. He turned round and smiled.

"Hello, Yume."

She waved.

"I've got to get going now."

Suigetsu nodded.

"All right," He grinned. "See you 'round."

Yume nodded, leaning forward to give Haku a hug and another to Suigetsu. After she'd pulled back from the blue-haired guitarist she said,

"I'll see you two soon!"

Haku smiled.

"Yes, and we," He referred to Yume and himself, "have to go shopping again sometime!"

Yume laughed.

"Definitely."

She gave them a brief wave, then turned and ran across the stage; over to the steps that led into the auditorium. Running through the isles Yume thought it looked oddly quiet now without the hoards of applauding fans. She smiled. It was nice to be appreciated by so many people. She never thought it would be possible.

Yume reached the back of the room and pulled open the doors, running along the corridor towards the exit- only she met up with Minato before she reached her destination.

"Hi there, Yume!" He said, turning round when she almost ran into the back of him. She narrowed her eyes, seeing the same grin on his face that Naruto had when he was up to no good.

"Hi…" She said, giving him a short wave. "I've got to head off now. Amaya wants me home."

Minato laughed; he'd heard many tales of the illusive Amaya.

"All right, well, have a safe trip." He went to turn round to talk to the group of people he was stood with again, but stopped and turned back to Yume, "You can get a lift home in my limousine, if you like? It saves you getting a taxi."

Yume was surprised by the gesture. He'd let one of the band-members take a ride home in his limo on their _own_? Did he not know them or something?

"Oh, thanks!"

He smiled.

"You're welcome, just tell Kotetsu it's fine with me."

She nodded.

"Right!"

Minato gave her a curt nod then turned to talk to the group of people again. Yume grinned and ran past the group, finally leaving the building through the exit just up ahead.

When she was outside it wasn't long before a sudden uneasiness washed over her. It was dark and the street-lights had long since flickered into life, shining brightly now; only just lighting what would have been complete darkness without them.

Just a short distance down the road Yume could see the limousine parked up just by another lamppost, its inside-lights on and the driver sat sleeping.

Yume looked about her instinctively, then when she saw nothing she left the comfort of the concert hall and made her way to the limo, all the while haunted by the feeling of being watched; and of course with what little light there was, it would be impossible to tell whether it was simply paranoia or not.

She was almost too glad when the driver woke up with a start, squinting at her through the tinted glass. He wound down the window.

"Miss Chiles, can I help?"

She quickly looked over her shoulder, then back at the driver.

"Minato said it would be alright if I get a lift home, if that's okay?"

The driver nodded.

"Sure, hop on in." He pressed a small button on the dashboard and the back-door swung open. Yume smiled, relieved.

"Thanks,"

She clambered into the back of the limousine, closed the door then looked up when the small separator-glass was lowered.

"So where to, Miss?"

She sat herself down and glanced out of the tinted window uneasily.

"Twelve Konoha Avenue please, Kotetsu,"

"Right you are,"

And with that the limo roared into life, pulling away from the curb before Yume had time to take another glance back, starting the twenty minute's drive to her house. As it drove away into the distance the lurking camera flashed.

oOo

The next day it was Temari who seemed the most shocked to hear about Yume and Kimimaro meeting up for a meal after school.

"You're going on a date with Kimimaro Kaguya?" She folded her arms and pouted. "Damn, I'm jealous!"

Yume's eyes bulged and Temari had a swift hand – Amaya's – connect with the back of her head.

"Sshhh!" Yume half whispered, trying to keep her friend quiet. "We're not going on a date, we're just eating together."

Sakura folder her arms, leaning back casually with a smug smile on her face.

"Is it just the two of you?"

"Yes- but we're _just _friends!" At least she _hoped _they were just friends. True, when they had first been introduced she may have had the _occasional _dream about him here and there – but of course she couldn't be blamed; he wasn't exactly ugly. Now however, she would much rather them just be friends.

Sakura grinned.

"Well if two people go for a meal alone together, it's usually called a d-"

"Sakura! Shush! It would have been Suigetsu too but he can't make it! Okay?"

Sakura raised her eyebrows.

"Ooh, someone's getting touchy."

"I am no-" It was then that Yume realised she was almost shouting, having attracted half the attention of her ICT class. She sank down into her seat a little, muttering quietly,

"It's not a date…" And that was true; it wasn't going to be a date. She knew that, Kimimaro knew that, but no one else seemed to have clicked on.

Elsewhere there was much the same conversation taking place between another two friends.

"So where' you taking Yume for this big date, 'eh?" Suigetsu said, nudging Kimimaro in his side. Kimimaro never once looked up from his biology book.

"It's not a date."

Suigetsu pulled an unconvinced face.

"Uh-huh, and that's why you're not letting me or Haku tag along then, is it?"

Kimimaro turned the page of his text-book.

"No, the reason you're not going is because you're both busy. You have water-aerobi-"

"_Sshhh!_"

"-and Haku has his violin lessons," he glanced at Suigetsu momentarily. "And I need to discuss something with Yume in private anyway."

Suigetsu laughed loudly, grabbing most of the class's attention including that of the teacher's.

"And what 'something' would that be?" He said, raising his eyebrows suggestively. Kimimaro tried his best to ignore him but to his best attempts, couldn't.

"I think it's the opposite of what you're thinking."

"Oh?" Suigetsu looked surprised by the information. "Really?"

Kimimaro shut the book, having finished all of the questions, and rested his chin on his knuckles.

"Really."

At the other side of the classroom a girl with brown hair sat hidden behind her over-sized textbook; purposefully done so to hide the masses of wires and cables strewn across the table in front of her. She was whispering into the pocket on her blouse.

"Yes, Kakuzu-sama! Something about them meeting up for a meal…"

The voice in her ear barked,

"Damn it girl, I said stop calling me that!" there was a pause. "-and good work. Find out all you can."

"Yes, Kakuzu-sama!"

There was a moment's low grumbling of incoherent swearing, then a malicious laugh rang in the girl's ear. Saki could hear the cash-register noises as Kakuzu's eyes filled with money signs.

oOo

With the constant nagging from Temari and Sakura throughout the rest of the school day, Yume nearly jumped for joy when she heard end of school bell. She packed up her bags, said a quick goodbye to Gaara then left the music classroom to find Amaya before any more questions could be asked.

She found Amaya a while later in the catering kitchens, pulling a half burnt chicken from the oven. Her eyes seemed murderous. Yume stood well back for fear of being beaten to death with a wooden-spoon. It's not like it hadn't happened before. She called from across the room,

"What happened, Amaya?"

Amaya dropped the whole chicken – including tray – into the bin and dusted her hands off.

"I got a little distracted…"

Yume was going to ask but knowing better she just shrugged and turned to leave,

"I'm going home! I've got to get ready to go out later!"

Amaya waved absentmindedly, turning to stare out of the window.

"Alright, see you later."

Yume stopped in her tracks and looked back at Amaya momentarily. She really was wondering what had distracted Amaya now.

She left the kitchens, heading towards the main school-exit; wanting to get home as fast as possible. She dodged a few people who tried to stop her with screams of loving affection and made it out of the school gates, though as soon as she walked across the threshold she suddenly felt like turning back. As soon as she'd stepped out she'd felt as if a dozen pairs of eyes had locked onto her. She tried to push past the idea but it never seemed to leave her alone along the walk home. She picked up the speed within the last twenty-or-so-meters from her house then sprinted up her garden path and wrenched the front door open. She ran inside and slammed the door behind her. Once sure that there was a full set of concrete and wood between her and whatever was outside, Yume let her bag drop from her shoulder and slid down the door to sit at the foot of it with her knees up against her chest.

She rested there as her heart-rate settled back to normal. What was going on? Was she really just being paranoid? She was quite confident that that wasn't the case. After a moment she sighed, pulling herself back up to her feet. She left her schoolbag where it was and headed fully into the house, intending on getting a shower. She walked up the staircase and along the corridor, glancing through each open door until she reached her room. Yume walked inside and turned to her wardrobe, pulling out a top and a skirt to place on the bed. She shook herself. Pah! She must just be imagining things; it was all in her head. Still…

Yume pulled the hair-tie from her hair and flicked it onto her dresser, then started to undo the buttons on her school-blouse.

Five minutes later and Yume was in the shower, running shampoo into her hair. She had drawn the curtains across the outside window, just in case. She spent roughly half an hour in the shower, then jumped out and wrapped herself up in three different towels, each having been put on the radiator to heat them up previously. With one wrapped around her body, the other around her hair and the last around her shoulders she unlatched the bathroom door, stepped out and walked back to her room, kicking her CD-player into life as she went. As Akatsuki's first song; 'Come back for me' started to blare from the speakers, Yume started to get changed into her outfit for the night. Perhaps spending time with Kimimaro would distract her from the stalker-like presence? She'd hope so at least.

oOo

It was '6:50' when there was a knock at the door. Amaya, finally having arrived home from school, answered it whilst Yume was still upstairs. How long did it take a woman to get changed anyway? She pulled the door wide and, seeing who it was, grinned,

"Why hello there!" She looked at Kimimaro in the doorway, then called up the stairs, "Oi! Yume! Kimimaro's here!"

There was a faint response from upstairs – where Amaya rolled her eyes – then the small black-haired girl looked at Kimimaro almost accusingly.

"You're a little… under-dressed for a date, don't you think?" She stared at his simple white dress-shirt and jeans. Kimimaro looked at her with a deadpan expression.

"It's not a date."

"Of course not…"

"It's not."

Amaya threw her hands up in defence.

"If you say it's not a date, it's not a date."

Before Kimimaro could say another protest of innocence, Yume appeared at the bottom of the staircase in a green vest-top, a white skirt and a short white jacket thrown over her shoulder. When she spotted Amaya glaring at Kimimaro she laughed nervously. She couldn't imagine what was annoying Amaya this time. She ran across to the pair and smiled. Kimimaro looked over to her from the doorway,

"You look nice, Yume."

"Thank you!"

He held his forearm out.

"Ready to go?"

She nodded energetically. She stepped forward and linked her arm with his, then the pair turned to leave. As they ran down the steps and out of the garden gate, Amaya grabbed hold of the door and yelled,

"Sure it's not a date!"

With that she slammed the door closed.

The pair walked down the street together, Yume every-so-often looking behind her. It was when Kimimaro opened the door to the awaiting taxi that he noticed she was looking worried.

"What's the matter, Yume?"

She looked back at him, turning on a bright smile, hiding her anxiousness,

"It's nothing," her face faltered slightly, hearing footsteps close to the cab, "Well…- recently I keep feeling as if there's something watching me."

Kimimaro nodded, stepping inside the taxi behind her.

"Yes, I keep getting that feeling too…"

He closed the door to the taxi, missing the flash of light.

oOo

Yume paused, seeing which restaurant Kimimaro intended on them going in to.

"Uhh…Kimimaro…I don't know if I can go in here…"

He looked back at her, holding the door open.

"How come?"

"Well me and Amaya got kicked out last time we were here…"

Kimimaro nodded.

"Oh- no, that's alright then. It's just Amaya who's banned. I checked."

Yume smiled in relief.

"Oh great!"

Poor Amaya. She's not allowed to go anywhere these days.

So the pair went into the Italian restaurant, intending on having a calm but enjoyable time without any fuss from their slowly- well, rapidly – growing fan base. O-ho-ho, they were very mistaken. They'd already missed the camera flash again.

Inside the restaurant Kimimaro and Yume waited at the main desk to be seated, and of course as luck would have it, Kiba appeared with the menus to take them to their seat, and even though Yume attempted to shrink behind Kimimaro, he still managed to spot her first.

"Hi Yume! I saw you on the front of that magazine- no, it wasn't mine, it was my sister's – but yeah, how's it going?"

Yume smiled at him nervously, noticing how he always managed to attract unwanted attention.

He guided his hand to point them in the right direction to their table, then when Yume had passed by, her head low to avoid unwanted stares, he noticed Kimimaro. They walked behind Yume together. Kiba grinned.

"Hey you're Kimimaro, right?"

His eyes flickered to the waiter.

"Yes…"

"Wow- I've just got to say you're an awesome drummer! I was at your last concert!"

Inside, Kimimaro was celebrating with fireworks and party-hats.

"...I'm glad."

Kiba showed them to their table, one situated by a floor-to-ceiling window, then pulled out a chair for Yume and gave them the menus.

"So are you two here on a date or-"

"It's not a date!" The pair said in annoyed unison. Kiba raised his hands in defence, grinning,

"All right, all right, not a date. I get it." He gave them a nod. "I'll be back for your orders in a bit," and with that he walked away and left the pair alone. Yume picked up one of the menus then looked at Kimimaro curiously,

"So…this definitely isn't a date, right?"

Kimimaro picked up his own menu and nodded.

"No, this is just a way for you to relax. Had I known it would cause all this trouble I wouldn't have asked."

She waved her hands frantically.

"No, no, it's fine, really! I was just checking!"

She picked up the menu again and buried her face behind it. Kimimaro smiled to himself. Yes, it had been a date when Kimimaro had asked her out all those weeks ago, but now, well…- he watched Yume cowering behind her menu, her face scarlet from the embarrassment of thinking they might have been on a date -… she was more like a little sister to him than anything else. Those romantic feelings he had had, they seemed out of place now. He didn't feel the same as he once had. Now he just wanted to protect her innocence from Deidara and Hidan.

"Yume…"

"Yes?" She said, peering over the top of her menu.

Kimimaro took a breath. Oh how he hoped she'd take this the right way,

"Do you have your eye on anyone at the moment?"

She actually laughed at the question, much to Kimimaro's surprise; although it was more nervous laughter than anything else. Why was he asking her? He'd said it wasn't a date, but could he actually secretly like her?

"Uh, no, not really. Why?"

Sometimes he hated how inquisitive she was.

"I'm just curious." He paused, thinking his words over, "We have to…look out for you, you know."

Yume narrowed her eyes,

"We? And…uh…what?"

"I was talking with Suigetsu the other day. You're the only girl in our group and we feel we should look after you because of it."

Yume had to stifle a laugh. She put her hand up to her mouth and bit on her knuckles slightly.

"Uhh... really?"

He nodded his head seriously.

"We just want to keep you safe, Yume. Men aren't always as nice as us."

"Oh," Yume smiled, a little flustered by the sudden intensity of the conversation, "That's nice."

She buried her face behind the menu again. Kimimaro wondered what she was doing; that was until he realised he'd made her uncomfortable. He slightly regretted bring the conversation up now. It was obviously too soon for the conversation about famous, womanizing idiots and their libidos. It could wait for another day. After all, this meal out was supposed to be relaxing.

Of course with Yume buried behind her menu, Kimimaro couldn't see her eyes darting to and forth from the large window next to her. She knew it was too dark to see out of, but light enough to see in, clear as day. WHY DID KIBA HAVE TO GO AND PUT THEM BY A WINDOW OF ALL PLACES? Maybe she could ask to move…- no; it would only cause problems. She'd just move her chair!

Yume picked up the chair she was sat on and shuffled it around the table so she was sat almost next to Kimimaro; facing with her back to the window. Now with the sudden closeness of the pair Kimimaro looked at her with his eyebrows raised.

"Yume?"

It was only now that she realised how close she'd gotten to Kimimaro; their elbows now able to touch, and so she waved her hands about in a mad, nervous fluster.

"Uhh, it's nothing! Sorry, I moved because there was a draft!"

Kimimaro's eyes flickered to where she had been sat, then to the window. He put two and two together.

"You don't want to be by the window." It wasn't a question. Yume sank back in her seat, almost embarrassed by the situation. It was only a window after all. She fidgeted with her skirt.

"I'm sorry, Kimimaro, I just can't shake the feeling that I'm being-"

Kiba popped up next to them with a pen and notepad at the ready, cutting her off with his sudden appearance. He noticed how close they'd gotten in the past five minutes and wiggled his eyebrows at them.

"Not a date. Got it."

Yume sagged even further into her seat. Oh great. Kiba was back. Before she had time to pick up her menu and place an order, Kimimaro spoke up, addressing Kiba,

"Can we move tables?"

Kiba looked at him over his notepad,

"Really? How come?"

Yume held her breath. Kimimaro replied coolly,

"I don't want to sit by a window."

She relaxed. She gave Kimimaro a small smile of thanks, whether or not he saw it before standing up was another matter. Kiba rubbed the back of his head, looking around for another table. He spotted one, pointing at it energetically,

"Right then! This way! Middle of the room; hope that's okay."

Kimimaro nodded silently. He picked up his things, waited for Yume to do the same, then followed Kiba to the new table. Yume walked behind, her head hung slightly in shame.

_**'You're being so stupid! Why would there be someone following us?'**_

_'I don't know... just...looking out of the window and not being able to see something is giving me chills...'_

_**'We're moving now, so it should be okay. NEVERTHELESS! Note to self: make Kimimaro hunt for bad guys later!'**_

_'Ha! Something must be up, I'm finally agreeing with myself...' _Yume smacked her forehead. She'd have to get to a psychiatrist at some point.

Kiba pulled the chair out for her and handed her a menu again once she was sat down in it. He did the same for Kimimaro, then pulled out his notepad.

"Can I take your orders, Miss," He nodded his head curtly, "Sir?"

Yume stared at him, confused, for a moment,

"What's with the sudden posh-ness, Kiba?"

He laughed slightly then talked in a hushed tone,

"Nah, I've got to be polite if I'm in the centre of the room. Head-staff listen out for it around here. It's not so bad by the windows," He shook his head, "Damn recession and all. They're looking out for people to lay off."

Yume recoiled slightly. What a happy subject to bring up!

"Oh..."

Kiba grinned,

"It doesn't matter. They'd probably never sack someone with a face like this," - Kimimaro coughed - "Anyway," he clicked his pen, "what would you like?"

So the pair placed their orders with Kiba then he left, shouting stuff across the room in Italian to the chefs in the kitchen.

After he'd gone Yume's eyes flickered over to the window. There was nothing there. She let out a sigh of relief. For a moment she could have sworn she'd seen something; something yellow..or white, but it must have been a trick of the light. She turned her head back to Kimimaro and started to listen to the conversation he'd started without her. About Suigetsu's water-aerobics outfit. The one he had to wear at his super-top-secret recital that she and the other two band members would obviously be attending. Poor Suigetsu.

Kimimaro was rather surprised by the speed of the service, having his food put in front of him by Kiba before he'd managed to say how he'd bring the video-camera to the recital under his jacket. He nodded his thanks to Kiba then looked across to Yume, who was busy thanking Kiba for her own food. She picked up her fork and set to work devouring her meal instantly. Surely you weren't supposed to eat _that_ fast? Ah well, Kimimaro thought, she'd only have stomach ache to complain to later!

He picked up his own knife and fork and looked down at his food. It did look nice, he had to admit. He held a forkful up and pushed it into his mouth, then his eyes suddenly closed in bliss. He opened them again; hearing sniggering.

"Hmm?" He said with his mouth full. Yume pointed at his food,

"How is it? Nice, I'm guessing."

He swallowed,

"Yes, it's great."

Yume's eyes creased up in a smile. She was relieved. She was glad she wasn't going to be having another Amaya incident here.

So the pair ate their meals together in peace, talking and laughing (yes, Kimimaro too) with the thought of it being a date safely out of mind. They took roughly half an hour to finish their food, then Kimimaro suggested the idea of going for a walk around town to see if anything was still open, but Yume almost screamed "pudding," at him very angrily. Well he had said he'd pay for the meal, and Yume was going to take full advantage of it.

So after a short moment's waiting the two plates of chocolate fudge cake appeared in front of the them. Kimimaro generally never ate dessert – he had his health to worry about – but after Yume had pestered him for the best part of ten minutes he'd finally given in.

He picked up his fork, smelling the chocolate scent already – something he hadn't eaten in so long – and stuck it into the cake. He cut off a small piece and held it up to his lips. He was stopping himself from dribbling; his mouth was watering so much. Pah! Who needs health when there's cake?

He looked across to Yume then suddenly had to stuff the piece of cake into his mouth to stop himself from laughing loudly. Yume was already wearing her cake all around her mouth.

He put his fork down and picked up the napkin by his wrist, holding it out for Yume to take; his eyes directed at the table-top to hide his grin. Suigetsu and Haku were right, Yume did seem to bring out his happier, playful side; as much as he hated to admit it.

Yume looked up, seeing a napkin just in front of her face,

"Huh?"

She noticed Kimimaro with his head down. She furrowed her eyebrows. What was up with him? She put her fork back on the table and lifted her finger up to her mouth, wiping just at the corner of it. She pulled it away and saw a blob of chocolate.

She laughed nervously and took the napkin from Kimimaro's hand. He looked up when she took it from him and saw her putting it over her mouth, giving the impression she had a white beard. He hurriedly put another bit of chocolate cake into his mouth.

As Yume was being much more careful with where her food was going, it took quite a long while for her to finally finish; forty minutes longer to be exact. As she carefully lifted the cake to her lips and opened her mouth wide enough to fit a train through it, she was unaware of what was happening so close to them. Outside something stirred in the dark. Its eyes focused on the restaurant window; the window where Yume had been sat just before. For a moment the rustling paused.

Kiba was back at the table now, holding a bill in his hands. His grin was as wide as ever,

"So who's paying?"

Kimimaro stayed quiet but held his hand out. Kiba's face lit up even more,

"This _is_ a date! It's got 'a be! The guy's paying!"

He looked at the two expectantly, waiting for one of them to finally confess. Neither did. He drooped.

"Alright, here's the bill," he put it in Kimimaro's awaiting hand, "hand it in at the desk."

With this said and his idea of new gossip ruined, he turned and walked off, waving to Yume as he went. As Yume was waving back Kimimaro read over the figures on the bill and pulled out his wallet. Yume noticed and started looking for her own purse. Kimimaro looked up,

"You're not paying, Yume," he said coolly. She glanced at him, having found her panda-head-shaped purse,

"Well you're not paying for all of it."

Kimimaro gave out a small laugh,

"It's fine. I want to."

Yume refrained herself from rolling her eyes. If he paid on his own then there would definitely be talk of a date, and as Yume had no desire to go through more of what Kiba, Temari, Sakura and Amaya had given, she put her foot down,

"No, I'm paying too."

Kimimaro saw the look of determination in her eyes and gave up then and there. It wasn't very often, but Yume could be very stubborn when she wanted to be; he'd found out the hard way a couple of weeks back when she'd said she wanted him to cheer Haku up after he'd lost his violin… by wearing a bunny-suit… what a day that had been.

Kimimaro took the few notes from Yume – rather reluctantly – and put them with his own, then he pulled himself up out of his seat,

"Time to get going?"

Yume nodded her head. She was full. She'd probably still be full tomorrow lunch-time, the way she felt now. She gathered up her things and put her white jacket on, then stood up. When she looked up, Kimimaro was already half way across the room.

'_Men…'_

She ran along to catch up with him then fell into step as he walked. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone,

"Here," he said, handing it to her, "call the taxi-company to come pick us up."

She took it and flipped the lid,

"Right!"

As Yume dialled for the taxi, Kimimaro went and paid the bill at the front desk. He didn't pay with her money; he was planning on slipping that back into her pocket without her noticing somehow. Kiba was the one that greeted him,

"Hello, sir," Kiba's eyes flickered side-ways to the manager stood next to him, "how may I help you?"

Kimimaro placed the bill on the desk. Kiba looked at it a second then nodded to reassure himself of what to do. He rang the cash-register, put the notes away then handed Kimimaro a small receipt. As Kimimaro was putting it away, Kiba said, bowing his head respectfully,

"Have a lovely evening, sir."

Kimimaro nodded back, his eyes also flickering to the manager. Maybe Kiba's 'pretty face' wasn't enough to keep him in a job after all. He turned away.

Yume hung up the phone and span on her heel just in time to miss crashing into Kimimaro by a couple of centimetres. He put his hands on her shoulders helpfully to stop her falling over,

"Is it on its way?"

Yume held the phone out to him,

"Yeah, they said they'd be here in a minute."

"Great," Kimimaro took the phone back and slipped it into his pocket. He turned to face the door, "coming?"

Yume nodded her head,

"Yeah,"

She ran up to the door and pulled it wide; the cold air hitting into her like a brick. Ooh, sometimes she was happy for central-heating. Kimimaro appeared behind her, then the pair walked outside into the street to wait for the taxi. And that's when it happened.

Yume screamed, a darkened figure jumping out in front of her, knocking her forcefully back into Kimimaro. He caught her around the waist just in time to have another shadowed person appear and something flashed, then another. Yume's eyes widened. Ooh those bast- Why wouldn't they leave them alone? Another person appeared, and another with a microphone. More flashes. Kimimaro darted forward, grasping hold of Yume's wrist, yanking her forward before she could protest. They ran through the group, only to meet with another three men. A microphone was held out,

"Yume, is it true that you and Kimimaro are dating?"

"What does this mean for Konoha Chibi Parade?"

"Are you planning on touring this year?"

Kimimaro pushed past them again, only more surrounded. He stopped trying to get past and stood to a halt, letting go of Yume's wrist and standing back to back with her. The pair surveyed the area around them. The number of demons - sorry, press – was still increasing and it was beginning to look like a sea of bright lights everywhere. Yume turned her head and tried to whisper over the questions,

"What do we do?"

Kimimaro was looking round quickly, trying to think of a plan,

"I don't kno-" He stopped abruptly, suddenly smiling. He took hold of Yume's wrist again and pulled her to the side of the circle of paparazzi. Yume tried to pull back as the hands of the journalist groped around for her.

"What are you doing, Kimimaro?"

He looked down at her, his eyes malicious,

"Getting you out of the way."

She gave him a puzzled look,

"Getting out of the way of-"

"GET OUT OF THE WAY, MOTHER-FUCKERS!" At the back of the sea there seemed to be a tidal wave of people being thrown into the air as something moved along beneath them, "I SAID MOVE IT OR LOSE IT! _YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED_, BITCHES!"

The people of the press were continuously thrown up into the air until another figure appeared in the middle of the circle. There stood Amaya, wearing her 'Men in Black' costume. She grinned,

"Thought you could use some help," She looked out into the circle, "Oi! Fish-sticks! Get over here!"

There were a few more people thrown into the air, a couple being thrown so high they ended up hanging on to a lamp-post, and then Kisame appeared in the circle. He was grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Whew, that was fun!" He looked down to see Yume and Kimimaro looking slightly more shocked than he'd expected, "Hi guys! We've come to rescue you!"

There was a brief moment where Yume let a sigh of relief out, glad that there was someone to help, but then she realised what this would entail. Yume's eyes bulged. She turned round and attempted to dive into the crowd of press, only Kisame grabbed hold of her first,

"What's up with you?"

Yume scrunched up her face in distress,

"I'm not getting in a car with you! _You can't make me!_"

The three others in the circle sweat-dropped. Kimimaro watched Amaya dive back into the crowd, her fists raised, then turned to Yume – who was still attempting to throw herself to the mob to escape,

"Yume, as much as Kisame's driving skills are debatable," Kisame rounded on him with a glare, "we don't have much of a choice."

Just to prove his point, the group of reporters managed to draw closer to them, shoving past each other like savages trying to hunt their prey. Yume gulped and pulled back from them, walking straight into Kisame. She looked up at him and quickly weighed up her options;

'_Stay and be smothered by reporters,'_

_**'Go and have a car-ride with the spawn of the devil,'**_

_'We could always go and wait for our taxi in the restaurant...'_

_**'No, don't be stupi- Wait, that's not a bad idea!'**_

"Hey guys, how about we-AHHH!"

Yume's hand had been grabbed and she was being pulled along by Kimimaro as Kisame barged a path through the reporters just ahead. Amaya suddenly appeared behind her, battering down those few reporters who just wouldn't quit and were trying to chase after them. Yume yelled over the noise of the screams and question-asking,

"Kimimaro! Can't we just wait for our taxi in the restaurant?"

Of course it was just her luck that he never heard her; he was too busy concentrating on getting both of them out out of there in tact. He was pulling her along so forcefully that her feet were hardly making contact with the floor. As they continued running there was a call from up-ahead,

"Guys, just here!"

Yume was lurched sideways as Kimimaro pulled her along to where Kisame had pointed the car to be. She noticed and tried one final attempt at a protest by simply stopping running, but Kimimaro was much stronger than she'd anticipated because he still dragged her along without her even moving her feet. She sighed defeatedly.

oOo

It was only ten-or-so minutes later that the limo – Kisame driving – rolled up outside Yume's house. As Amaya threw herself out of the door to throw up in a bush, Kimimaro picked himself up off the floor of the limousine then helped Yume up. She steadied herself, her head spinning slightly and her face paler than normal, then she said as she gave Kimimaro a hug (partly just to hold herself up),

"Thank you for tonight, it was really great!"

Kimimaro hugged her back, his arms loose around her waist,

"Don't worry about it, I'm just glad you're feeling more at ease now."

Yume pulled back slightly, her expression perplexed. She looked out of the tinted windows with distant eyes and sighed,

"Well actually I'm just as worried now."

Kimimaro sighed inwardly. He'd tried so hard to keep her happy and...it hadn't worked. Damn.

"Why? What's wrong?"

Yume shook her head, a half-smile on her lips,

"I guess I'm just worried about what's going to be in tomorrow's paper since we got ambushed back there."

Ah. Now he understood. Well there was no way around it, some rumour or another was going to get out, but he – and Suigetsu – would do his best to stop it escalating. Yume didn't need the stress and they'd help to keep it down as best as possible, as they had done with Haku. Yes, the rumour of Haku being gay had already started its rounds again. The poor kid. Kimimaro had been there the previous two times the rumour had been sent round; once in infant school, and then again at the academy. Haku had been really upset the first two times, and so Kimimaro decided after this third time of having to comfort Haku as he cried in his room, he wouldn't let the same thing happen to his other friends.

He smiled reassuringly,

"Don't worry, I'm sure it won't be anything too bad. It will pass in a week-or-so even if,"

Yume nodded, still not totally convinced,

"Um-hmm, I'm sure you're right," she swayed her way to the door then looked over her shoulder with a smile, "well I'll see you tomorrow then."

Kimimaro gave her a short wave,

"Don't forget. It's a big day tomorrow."

She nodded, having forgotten about what Minato had planned for them,

"Oh yeah, I can't wait," she said sarcastically, then she laughed, "alright, see you then!" And with this she jumped from the car onto the pavement outside. She took a deep breath. Tomorrow would be...entertaining.

oOo

"O~ooh, you are so screwed, Yume,"

Again, as it was most days these days, Yume was woken to the sound of Amaya. Unlike usual however, it wasn't Amaya's snoring so Yume was puzzled when she opened her eyes to see Amaya looking down at her with a paper in her hands. When Yume's eyes were more in focus, Amaya unrolled the newspaper and shoved it in her face, making her read it. Yume moaned slightly and took the paper from Amaya. She blinked a couple of time to get her eyes working properly, then she read over the main headline;

'**Konoha Chibi Romance'**

A knot twisted in her stomach. She read down the page and as she did so, her face slowly fell until it looked as if her jaw might fall off. It took her a moment, but when she was finally done she looked up, looking at Amaya's sympathetic face,

"Bad luck, chuck."

"I-I-...we-" she looked back at the newspaper and grimaced. There, in the centre, black and white, was a picture of her and Kimimaro sat in the restaurant together; he was talking and she was laughing happily. They looked like a proper couple. Damn it. Yume sighed and rolled over onto her front, throwing her face into her pillow. She held out the newspaper for Amaya, muffling the phrase 'burn it'. Amaya laughed and took the newspaper from her friend. She wouldn't burn it. She'd keep it. They could look back on it and laugh someday. She knew they would. She leaned forward and gave her friend a slap on the back,

"Come on, woman! You've got school to look forward to!"

Yume groaned again and pulled her duvet up, covering her entire body. Amaya rolled her eyes. Such a drama-queen.

As expected when the pair arrived at school, the first thing that happened when they walked through the gates was a loud amount of screaming and then a large, state-of-the-art pee-shooter being withdrawn by Amaya. She'd come prepared today. They made their way to form-room, only to be greeted by more questions, to which Yume replied "it wasn't a date," and Amaya gave a threatening glare.

This was much the same attitude given throughout the rest of the day. Even, at one point, a teacher stopped to ask Yume if it was true and Amaya screamed blue murder at them. Needless to say, when last lesson of the day came around, English, Yume and Amaya sat at the back of the classroom, Yume with her head in one hand and Amaya asleep behind her text book. She'd gone and tired herself out with all the yelling, poor thing. It had been a long day for both of them, but, now, Yume was a little happier because her form at least believed that she and Kimimaro were not dating and it had all been a misunderstanding.

Jiraiya was stood at the front of the classroom, reading aloud extracts from his book and questioning those on the first row about them, so he was busily preoccupied and so those at the back could talk freely amongst themselves. Sakura glanced over and laughed, seeing Amaya with her face planted into the desk. This caught Yume's attention so she looked up. She gave Sakura a smile then looked back to the front, but Sakura wanted to talk,

"Yume, don't let it get you down, alright? We all know it's not true and I'll punch anyone who says otherwise, got it?"

Yume laughed slightly at her friend. Sakura was always so supportive.

"Thanks, and don't worry, I'm alright. I think I'll just ignore what anyone else says about it,"

Sakura gave her a thumbs-up,

"At-ta girl!"

Just then Yume felt her phone buzz in her shirt-pocket. She pulled it out and held it under the desk. The screen read; '_1 new message: Suigetsu'._ She already knew what this was going to say, but she read it anyway,

_'Just saw newspapers! What the hell? Don't worry. We're already working on it. Minato's getting Mei to publish an article in Mizukage about newspaper scandals, photo-shopping faces into pictures and shit. They wont know what hit them. We'll see you later! Love Sui.'_

Yume smiled again, slipping her phone back into her pocket. Now she felt much better.

"Aah! Is that Miss Chiles I see there at the back? Answer me this! How well did I use the dialect when the two characters were confessing their true feelings of love and passion? Could you feel them pressing themselves so close that-"

Luckily before Jiraiya had any time to finish that sentence the final bell rang. Yume let out the biggest sigh of relief that she'd done in a _long_ time. Jiraiya laughed,

"Alright class! We'll pick up from here on Monday! I hope you all have a great weekend!"

As everyone started to pack up their things Yume leaned over and shook Amaya slightly. The raven-haired girl opened her eyes slightly and mumbled,

"Five more minutes..."

Yume shook her friend harder,

"Amaya, it's the end of school."

She looked up groggily, her hair slightly a mess from having been asleep for the best part of an hour, and raised her eyebrows,

"So it is..." She looked over to Yume, then to the desk, then out of the window, then turned back to Yume and said, "I have to go and get my prom-hair tested out now."

Yume raised her eyebrows,

"Oh really? First I've heard."

Amaya nodded slowly,

"Yeah I know, it was a last minute thing." She dragged herself up from the seat then bent over and picked up her bag. She stood up straight again and yawned,

"Well I'd best be off, see you back at the house."

Yume nodded,

"Yeah, see you later then!"

So Yume watched Amaya slump off down the classroom, the decided to head off herself. She had to get ready to go out again very soon with her band. She packed up her things, said good bye to Sakura then headed out of the classroom. She noticed people along the corridor occasionally pointing at her and whispering, but now with the information that Minato was on the case, it didn't bother her that much at all. Now that she looked at it, she realised compared to what the rumour could have been, this rumour of her and Kimimaro dating was quite nice. She'd realised she shouldn't let it bother her too much.

With a new frame of mind Yume left the English-block and set out to the school gates. Upon arriving there she noticed something unfamiliar just a short distance away. There was a rose-bush. It was in the middle of the walkway. She slumped slightly,

_'Oh great, they're back.'_

Yume looked behind her, trying to spot one of her friends so she could walk home with them, but as luck would have it no one was around. She'd have to go it alone.

She took a deep breath and stepped out onto the pavement. She didn't look at the bush again, but kept it in her sights. If it moved she was going to run. She wasn't too far from her house after all. She made her way down the street, pulling her MP3-player from her school bag as she went. She unravelled the headphone chords then put the buds in her ears, but didn't put any music on. She was trying to act normal.

Her heart skipped a beat when the bush moved. It didn't come any closer to her but kept in parallel across the street, following along in time with her feet. Yume sighed heavily. She really _really _hated journalists now. A light flashed. Yume closed her eyes, trying to keep focused on getting home. There was no story possible to come out of her walking down a street; 'Yume goes to school' – big shocker there. 'Members of Konoha Chibi Parade listen to music!' - headline news. She reassured herself she had nothing to worry about. But even then, when the camera in the bush flashed again she couldn't help but feel slightly crestfallen. Luckily for her she was nearly home now.

The camera flashed again, and then something extraordinary happened. A small bird landed atop of the bush and sat there for a moment. It didn't do anything. Only sat. The camera flashed again.

Boom.

The explosion set the bush alight with flames and the reporter hidden within had to dive from it and pat himself out on the ground. After doing so he picked himself up and ran off, not wanting to risk staying around any longer. Yume realised then what had happened,

"Deidara?" She called out, looking around for the creator of the exploding clay birds. No one replied. "Deidara?" Still nothing. That was weird. Well he had to be somewhere close, that bird didn't just get there on its own. Yume walked the last distance to her house and up the garden path. She reached her front door and put the key in the latch. As she opened the door she took one last look over her shoulder, checking for any more cameras, then when she was happy there weren't any, she went inside.

She kicked off her school-shoes and dropped her bag by the door, then walked into the main hallway, heading for the stairs. She would get a shower, do her hair, then meet up with the others and go for the- urgh, her stomach twisted just thinking about it.

She shook her head, pushing that thought to the back of her mind and travelled up the staircase two at a time. She hit the top step and walked along the corridor, heading for her room. As she went she slackened off her school-tie and pulled it off over her head, then unbuttoned her blouse. She opened the door to her room as she undid the last button then – well there was a brief pause, and _then_ Yume gave a sharp scream that could have shattered glass as she covered her top-half back up. Lying on her bed was Hidan, looking at her with his eyebrows raised,

"Wow, Yume, I didn't know you had such a fucking good pair of-"

"No, Hidan-" She said, cutting him off, "- Don't say it." He shrugged his shoulders. "What are you doing in my room?"

He pulled himself up to a sitting position, then turned to face her,

"I have to talk with you."

She raised an eyebrow,

"Oh? What's wrong?" Just then her eyes flickered to the small clay birds by the side of Hidan, "Hey, Hidan... did you set that bird off outside?"

He looked down and saw what she was referring to,

"Oh, yeah, I could see that guy was pissing you off so I got rid of him."

Yume was sure it was meant to be a nice gesture.

She stepped forward into the room and closed her door then stayed facing it to re-button her blouse. As she did so, she asked over her shoulder,

"Hey, Hidan, since when have you been able to use Deidara's birds anyway?"

Hidan laughed,

"I knew the secret activation phrase fuckin' ages ago, I've just never been able to get at the birds before. Deidara was asleep so I took my opportunity."

Yume laughed, having done up the last button. She turned round to face Hidan then walked over and sat on the end of her bed. Her eyes flickered over to the clock by her bed. She was already running out of time to get ready,

"Hey Hidan, I hate to say this but... could you possibly talk to me another time, it's just I'm really busy and-"

"Getting ready for another date?"

Yume stared. He couldn't have just said what she thought he'd said...?

"Umm...Hidan?"

"You know, another date? You were on one last night with that prick Kimimaro so are you going out again tonight?" He pushed himself off the bed and went and stood by the wardrobe, his arms crossed, "And when the fuck did you two start going out anyway?"

Ah, she understood now. That's what he wanted to talk about. She sighed exasperatedly,

"Hidan it wasn't a date. We're just friends."

He crossed his arms further,

"Really? That's not what I've heard."

Yume tried not to laugh. She could almost see a pout on Hidan's lips,

"You of all people should know not to believe the tabloids, Hidan. We only went out to celebrate our last concert and it ended up being called a date."

Hidan put his foot up against the wardrobe,

"Well maybe that's what _you_ thought it was."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

He shrugged,

"Maybe Kimimaro thought it _was_ a date, and just told you it wasn't."

Yume stopped for a moment, thinking that possibility over in her head. Sure, he could have done that but... it didn't seem like Kimimaro. Yume shook her head,

"No, I don't think so," She took a small breath, having to admit to what she wished she didn't know, "I know he used to like me, a while ago, but he's got past that and he's like an older brother now." Hidan went to say something so she added, "and I know he thinks of me as a sister, Suigetsu said he told him that."

Hidan closed his mouth. He didn't really know what to say now. He'd come round to yell a lot at Yume about how she should choose her men better because for all she knew Kimimaro could be a creep, but seeing as how set she was with the idea of Kimimaro being a brother (what the fuck?) he felt as if the case was already closed. Damn, he'd prepared a speech and everything!

"Well.. uhh..."

Yume laughed, seeing she'd caught him off-guard,

"Yes?"

He shrugged again, lost for words.

Yume looked across to her clock again, then suddenly yelped and sprang up. She started running around her room, grabbing random items, then ran over to the wardrobe, knocking Hidan out of the way – sending him crashing to the bed – and opened it to look for clothes. As she was doing so, Hidan picked himself up and sat on her bed again, watching curiously,

"So, where the fuck are you going today anyway?"

Yume pulled out a light-blue summery dress then turned and kicked her wardrobe shut in a hurry,

"Uhh, I can't tell you now, I've got to get a shower!"

For some reason Hidan was under the impression she didn't want to tell him where she was going. Why not? Without another word said, Yume put the dress down on her dressing-table, then turned and ran out of the room and along the corridor. A few moments later Hidan heard the shower running. He sighed heavily and looked around her room. Now what? Yume had just left him alone in her room.

A sudden glint fell into his eyes as he realised the fact. Well, he thought, she hadn't asked him to leave, which was _basically_ the same as giving him permission to snoop through her stuff. He wouldn't pass up the opportunity.

Hidan gave one last wary look towards the bedroom door, then set to work looking around. He walked over to her wardrobe first and pulled the doors open, deciding to find out what her _true_ fashion sense was. He reached up and pulled the first thing on a coat-hanger down. When he saw what it was he had to pinch the bridge of his nose to stop a nosebleed. Well he'd definitely be suggesting that they go swimming for the next catch-up with Yume. He wanted to see her in the skimpy blue bikini he held in his hands (which unbeknown by him Yume had sworn never to wear after Amaya had bought it her in an attempt to 'bring out her playful side').

As he was putting the bikini back in the wardrobe someone said in a harsh whisper,

"Hidan you bastard, get back here right now, yeah!"

Hidan looked down, wondering where the noise had come from, but then realised it had come from his pocket. He reached down and pulled out the little screen used to monitor the birds, only to see Deidara's angry face glaring murderously at him,

"Ha, hey Deidara! Guess where I am?" There was a hint of gloating in his voice. Deidara glared even further,

"Yes I know where you are, yeah. I was listening the whole time you were talking to her."

Damn, Hidan cursed. He'd been planning on letting Deidara believe that Kimimaro and Yume _had_ started dating so Deidara would blow him up and be sent to prison, leaving him free to take Yume. Ah well.

"Fine, well then," He looked round, thinking he'd heard something. He stopped talking to listen. Deidara whispered,

"What is it, yeah?"

After a moment Hidan looked down at the screen,

"No fucking idea. Now, what the fuck did you want?"

Deidara sighed agitatedly,

"Get back to the academy, we've got band practice."

Hidan laughed as if what Deidara had just said was supposed to be a joke.

"No fucking way. I'll skip it today. Yume wanted to talk to me when she got out of the show-" He stopped talking again. There was that noise. It was a buzzing sound. He darted his head round, trying to spot where it was coming from. It was definitely in the room somewhere...-AH! Hidan shoved the screen back into his pocket, gaining a yell of annoyance from Deidara, then dove straight onto Yume's bed. He slipped his hand under her pillow and pulled out what was making the buzzing noise; her phone. He knew he shouldn't look, but the temptation was too great. It's not like he was going to read it; he just wanted to see who it was. Maybe he knew them. He flipped the lid of the phone and checked the screen; '_1 new message: Kimimaro'_

Oh well now he was going to read it, no doubt about that. He pressed the 'read' button and it brought up the message; _'Just checking you're getting ready! :) We'll pick you up in half an hour! K x'_

Hidan's eyes bore down on the little 'x' at the end of the message with venom. Even if he didn't like her, a kiss was still unacceptable! He'd have to catch up with Kimimaro sometime around the academy. Have a little chat.

Hidan closed the message and slipped the phone back under Yume's pillow, a question surfacing in his head. Where _was_ she going? She must have something lying around her room that could tell him. He set to work snooping again, still hearing the shower roaring. He went back to the wardrobe, this time ignoring the clothes, and instead searched around on the bottom of it for something, anything that would tell him. No luck there. He pulled himself up and moved along to her make-up table. He pulled open the small drawer underneath and looked inside. There were a few scraps of paper, a couple of pens, a CD – HEY! Hidan grinned, staring at the image of himself on the front of the album.

He closed the drawer and moved again, rooting around on the floor. As he shuffled along on his hands and knees he realised he didn't actually know what he was looking for. Maybe a flyer for a club or concert? A love letter from someone? An 'all you can eat' certificate for some crappy restaurant? He didn't know.

He pulled himself up off the floor using Yume's bed, then sat on it, looking around the room; waiting for something to just jump out at him. That's when his eyes flickered across to Yume's bedside table, upon which sat her clock and the golden heart Deidara had bought her. If Hidan didn't know it would upset Yume to do so, he'd throw that heart out of the window and send one of the clay-birds after it – but he didn't. He reached over and pulled open the small drawer, peering into it curiously. His eyes lit up as his gaze rested upon a book. A notebook. Hidan had a hunch, a _diary_.

He reached over and pulled the book out, then lay down on the bed and flicked to the first page; '_Dear diary,'_.

"Fuck yes!" He yelled triumphantly. He skipped ahead until the last page written on, then read; '_Well today was good fun – apart from the end but I'll get there later. School was just the same, apart from Temari was jealous because I was going out for a meal with Kimimaro. Aww, I think they'd be so-' _Hidan skipped ahead, '_And then Amaya showed up and started beating them all up (as she does), then we escaped and got a lift home with Kisame. Urgh. Death itself-' _He skipped again, _'And now I'm just worried about tomorrow. I thought I'd only have one thing to worry about, not two. I really hope the papers don't print out some really stupid made-up story about us. I can't be dealing with that __**and**__ the stress of recording a CD. It's going to kill me.'_

Hidan put the diary down on the bed, his eyebrows raised. She was recording? Already? He sat up and put the diary back in the drawer, then sat there, listening as the shower cut off. Minato really was pushing them. Didn't he understand about exam-pressure? It was about the right time for Yume to be having her's now. She didn't need any extra problems.

Hidan lay down, putting his hands behind his head on Yume's pillow, then closed his eyes. He recalled when he'd had his exams. What a time it had been. Pissing about in lessons and still coming out with top marks – ha, he showed those teachers! After he'd gotten his results he'd gone back into school, walked in on a lesson and shoved the papers in his teacher's face. The kids in there had probably never laughed so much.

Hidan rolled over, spreading himself out over the bed and stretched. He lay for a moment, contemplating going to see how Yume was doing but knew fine well he'd get screamed at, a bar of soap thrown at him and tossed out the front door. A bad idea.

He looked up, hearing a door being opened and footsteps heading his way. A moment later and Yume pushed open the door, smiling when she saw Hidan on the bed,

"Still here?"

He grinned, seeing her walking in in only a towel,

"You bet."

Yume rolled her eyes and walked over to her dressing-table, sitting down in front of it. Hidan watched her pull out a hair-dryer, then she leaned forward and opened the drawer under her desk. She pulled out the CD inside then turned round and held it out,

"Put this in the CD player for me please,"

Hidan sat up and took the disk from her then bent down over the side of the bed and put it in the music-player. He pressed play, then grinned – as he always did – when he heard his on voice start singing. Yume smiled then turned back to the mirror on her dressing-table and picked up the hair-dryer. After she'd turned it on Hidan began to sing along to the song, fully intending on drowning the hair-dryer out. Yume noticed and laughed, turning the hair-dryer up a notch.

Twenty minutes later and Yume shut the hair-dryer off again. She turned and looked at Hidan expectantly. He looked back, trying to be oblivious,

"What?"

She pointed to the door,

"I need to get changed."

He shrugged,

"Don't worry, I'm gay. Your nakedness won't effect me."

"Ha!" She laughed, "nice try! Out!"

Hidan grinned. Oh well, he tried. He picked himself up off the bed then walked out into the hallway. Yume closed the door after him then turned and walked back over to her dressing-table, picking up the dress she'd strewn there before. She put it on then jumped on her bed, dipping her hand beneath the pillow. She pulled out her phone and checked it for messages. Huh, that was weird, Kimimaro had said he'd text her to remind her to get ready after school. She went into her inbox and checked the last message; '_Just checking you're getting ready! :) We'll pick you up in half an hour! K x'._

She snapped her phone shut,

"Hidan!"

He popped his head round the door,

"Yeah, what?" She showed him the phone, to which he laughed nervously and stepped inside the room, "Well, you see-"

He was cut off by the sudden sound of a horn, and then as if on queue Yume's phone vibrated in her hand. She flicked the screen on and saw; '_1 new message: Suigetsu'_. As Hidan went over to the window and peered out of it, Yume read the text. In unison they said,

"The limo's here!" Then looked at each other and laughed. Yume stepped forward, slipping her phone into her pocket, then started scurrying around her room, grabbing hold of her bag, some make-up, a hair-tie, her mp3-player and her shoes. Hidan watched her doing this and gradually made his way to the door, knowing he was about to get kicked out. Yume noticed and smiled,

"Thanks for not protesting,"

He ruffled her hair as she quickly passed him by on her way out of the door,

"No fucking problem."

Hidan closed the door after him, then followed Yume along the hall and down the stairs. As they stood in the main hallway, Yume put her shoes on, and Hidan could tell she was becoming increasingly nervous.

"Hey, Yume, chill, you're going to be fine."

She looked up, giving him a quick smile,

"Yeah I suppose," she finished putting the last shoe on then picked her bag up again and ran to the door. She unhooked the house-key from its place by the door then opened the door wide. She let Hidan out first then followed, locking up after herself. The two walked down the garden path together, then Hidan walked with her to the limo.

The door was opened from the other side, revealing a forever-awe-struck-by-his-presence Haku. The boy was slightly speechless, so a hand knocked him out of the way. Suigetsu.

"Glad you could make it!" He said sarcastically, looking down at the imaginary watch on his wrist. Yume stuck her tongue out at him, then went to get into the limousine, only Hidan put his hand on her shoulder. She turned and looked at him so he said, giving one last attempt to get her confidence up,

"Recordings are good fun, you'll enjoy it."

Yume was stunned into a silence. How had he known she was going to a CD-recording?

Seeing as how she'd stopped moving, a puzzled look on her face, Hidan laughed and pushed her backwards slightly, getting her into range of Suigetsu. He grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her backwards into the limousine, making her land on Haku. Hidan laughed, then shut the door for them. He gave a brief wave as the limousine started to pull away then watched it drive off down the street. When it was safely out of sight Hidan turned. He looked back up at Yume's house. Well, he hadn't gotten in her house the first time by using the front door. He was going to have a look at the rest of that diary. Find out who she _really_ liked.

* * *

_Deidara here! She's still asleep right now so I'm filling in, yeah. Hope you enjoyed it! Sarah apologizes for the length of the chapter but hopes you understand she's trying to get it all written before she leaves school (it means she's actually accomplished something this year), yeah._

_So poor Yume, lots of things happening there! Hopefully it'll all get better for her next chapter (but you'll have to read to find out)!  
It's late so as Sarah would say, "See you next chapter", yeah!_

_X-Deidara's Lover-x  
_


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Still not owning the Naruto characters here - nothings changed!

Claimer: Stay away from Yume and Amaya if you know what's good for you... (laughs madly)

* * *

Chapter 17

Inside the recording-booth Yume let go of the microphone, her throat burning from an hour of none-stop singing. As they finished up the song she looked across to her band members and gave them all a warm-hearted smile, knowing they'd done well. Once the final notes had been played and everything turned quiet, they each waited in silence, waiting for the signal. Of course under these conditions Yume was never very good so she had to throw her hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing. It wasn't her fault; she was just never very good when it came to being quiet when she had to be. She had her hand clamped there firmly until a voice over the intercom called,

"That's a rap guys, well done!"

With this information the group let out a unified sigh of relief. The recording was done and they could speak again. Suigetsu held his bass in the air triumphantly, waving it over his head; barely missing the recording equipment above,

"That was awesome!" He pumped his fist, "we're going to be millionaires with this CD!"

The others laughed at his enthusiasm. Haku, his fingers tingling from playing keyboard for so long, said,

"I just hope they like our original songs," he pointed out, "We've only ever done covers in concerts before,"

Suigetsu ran over, still hyped up from the recording, and tackled Haku to the floor – or at least attempted to but the pair crashed into Kimimaro who stood his ground,

"They'll love it!"

Kimimaro rolled his eyes and helped Haku back onto his feet, leaving Suigetsu on the floor to get up himself. Yume grinned and made her way over, offering Suigetsu a helping-hand. He grinned and grabbed her arm, yanking himself up and nearly pulling her over in the same process. She yelped and struggled to keep herself standing, hopping forward on an unbalanced leg until she fell into Kimimaro head first. He grabbed her by the shoulders and steadied her so that she could stand up properly. When she was finally upright she looked over her shoulder and glared at Suigetsu,

"Never again am I helping _you_ up!"

He gave her a cheeky grin.

Just then the door to the recording booth swung open and Minato walked in, the usual grin on his face,

"That was great, guys! I'm really pleased! You sounded great!"

"Of course we did!" yelled Suigetsu smugly. Kimimaro hit him upside the head for cockiness. As Suigetsu turned and tried to pounce on the white-headed boy, Yume and Haku - seeing what was about to happen (having experienced it too many times before) - evacuated the area, running over to Minato to hide behind him. He looked at them, then at the two boys, then shrugged. They'd work it out themselves, no doubt.

He turned round and guided Haku and Yume from the room, intending on letting them listen to their recordings. Inside the recording-studio there were a small team of workers sat at the mixing desks, working through the parts of the different songs that had been recorded. Minato walked over to the closest worker to them and patted him on the shoulder. The man turned and smiled, looking somewhat surprised to see Minato. He shook Minato's hand then Minato turned and called the two over to him. As they made their way over, Minato introduced them,

"This here is Ibiki. He's an old friend from years ago. We used to work together before-"

"-You went and made it big," the man said with a smile. Minato laughed, patting him on the back,

"Yeah, something like that."

The man turned towards Yume and Haku and picked up two sets of headphones, offering them out,

"Want to listen to what you did?"

The two grinned and took the headphones from him, waiting in anticipation to hear what their music sounded like. As Ibiki turned back to the computer screen in front of him he said,

"It's not completely kink-free so just bear with it." Then he pressed the play-button, letting Yume and Haku listen to the music. Just as the sound of Kimimaro's drums started to blare into the headphones, he and Suigetsu walked through the doors from the recording-booth, both looking slightly scuffed up but Suigetsu's arm was around Kimimaro's shoulders and both were smiling – that was until Suigetsu saw what was happening in front of him. He let go of Kimimaro and pointed an accusing finger at the other two band-mates,

"And why are you two listening to it before us!" His protest was in vain; Yume and Haku were too busy listening to the music, their eyes sparkling with glee. Minato laughed. If Suigetsu was angry now, he couldn't wait to see his expression when he found out that the CD wouldn't be ready for at least another two months.

oOo

For the rest of the weekend Yume spent most of her time doing homework. It was a shame too because the weather outside was so good for once. Yume loved this time of year, when it was the middle of Spring and the days were getting longer and longer. Everyone seemed so much nicer this time of year; there was less to worry about. Well... apart from the upcoming exams of course. They were getting drastically closer and it was only now that Yume realised she hadn't even started to do her revision.

When it came round to Monday morning, Yume was feeling drained of all her energy. She sat at the breakfast table with Amaya, her head slowly inching closer and closer to the table-top. Amaya noticed, toast in mouth, and said,

"What's up with you?"

Yume looked up and said, yawning,

"Stayed up to do some revision last night."

Amaya laughed,

"Really? I haven't done _any_!" She took a sip of tea, "Don't worry about it Yume, they're a couple of weeks off yet. You have plenty of time!"

Yume sighed heavily, dropping her head so it banged against the table-top. Two weeks? Was that it? They'd come round so fast! She still had so much to do! These days most of her time was spent practicing with her band or being pulled about by the Akatsuki boys – of course she didn't mind this but it did stop her getting school work done a lot of the time.

Amaya saw her glum expression and snapped her fingers,

"I know what you need!"

Yume looked up, seeing a devilish grin spreading out over her friend's face. The girl suddenly dived from her chair, advancing towards the kitchen cupboards. As she did so, she called to Yume,

"Go get ready for school; I'll give you it when we set off,"

Yume was dubious,

"Uhh... Amaya...?"

Amaya looked over to Yume as she rummaged around in the cupboards, looking for what she needed,

"Have no fear!" She winked, "It's all good."

Yume opened her mouth to protest, but decided against it. Amaya would only argue until she won.

So with nothing else to do – having finished her breakfast – Yume left the kitchen to get changed for school. She walked up the stairs, along to her room and opened the door. Inside she contemplated jumping straight back into bed, seeing it there looking all warm and cosy, but knew Amaya would only come in and jump on her later if she did. Instead she walked over to her wardrobe and pulled the doors wide, looking for her school-uniform.

Back downstairs, Amaya pulled the last of the ingredients from the cupboard under the sink, then pulled out a cup to put them in. She grinned, talking to herself as she unscrewed the lid from the pure caffeine powder,

"Mama Amaya's pick-me-up drink is gonna' keep her buzzin' all day long!" She dropped a hefty table-spoon full of caffeine into the cup, then picked up the bottle of lemonade.

oOo

Half an hour later, Yume stood waiting by the front door and Amaya was jumping down the stair-case three at a time, holding her school-bag over her shoulder. She hit the bottom step then ran over to Yume, grinning like a cat. She reached into her bag and produced a water-bottle containing a sludgy, brown liquid, then held it out for Yume. Yume, of course, took one look at the drink and stepped back,

"Amaya…" She looked at the content of the bottle, her face turning slightly pale, "I'm not supposed to drink that, am I?"

Amaya looked at the bottle also, wondering why on earth Yume looked so repulsed by it,

"Of course you are! It's great! Here," She pushed the bottle into Yume's hands, "Take a drink,"

"I'd…rather not." Yume could have sworn she'd seen something moving inside the bottle a second a go. She looked up from the bottle to Amaya, only to see large pleading eyes staring at her,

"B-b-but I slaved away in that kitchen for hours-"

"-Half an hour-"

"-making that for you. You should at least have a little!"

Yume looked at Amaya, then down at the drink, then back at Amaya. She sighed. Oh the things she did to keep Amaya happy. She slowly unscrewed the bottle-top, then brought the bottle up to her lips. She had to hold her breathe to stop the smell from getting stuck in her nose. There were no words to describe the odour. The last thing Yume saw before closing her eyes was Amaya's happy – and triumphant – smile. She tipped the bottle back.

oOo

Amaya held her hands over her ears, the vein pulsing on her forehead. Get to school, that's all she had to do. Once she was there she could let Yume get dragged away by the fans – oh wait, Itachi had told her to be bodyguard no matter what. DAMN HIS STUPID SEXY ASS! Amaya wanted to cry.

"Yume, shut up, woman!"

Yume looked at her friend, laughing as she span round in circles as they walked together,

"I don't know why you're so angry, Amaya-kins, you're the one who gave me the drink!" She jumped forwards onto Amaya, catching her round the neck, "I'm definitely more awake now!"

Who knew caffeine would make Yume so bloody hyper? ... -oh wait.

Luckily, by the time the two had arrived at school, Yume could at least contain her laughter – mostly at least.

They walked to form-room together, Amaya only half-heartedly trying to beat off the fans (hoping that one would 'accidentally' get past her and drag Yume away), but when they got there it turned out that Yume being hyper would be the least of her problems. As Amaya walked into the room she spotted – her eyes trained for such a matter – a boy at the back of the room, a girl stood next to his desk with a blush on her face. She was talking quietly to him but Amaya knew what was being said. The girl stopped talking and the boy muttered something, his face also turning a light shade of pink. The girl suddenly smiled and jumped forward, wrapping her arms around his shoulders then she ran off back to the front of the classroom to her other friends, whispering and muttering to them. Prom dates. Oh hell no.

Amaya stuck her foot out, halting Yume in her tracks before she could get through the classroom door. Amaya pushed her back out, telling her to 'stay put' then walked back into the classroom with a look of determination on her face.

Sakura, sat at the back of the classroom, noticing Amaya was striding in, nudged Temari. Temari looked up so Sakura pointed her head towards her other friend,

"Told you. Here it comes."

Temari smiled, watching Amaya roll up her sleeves,

"This should be good."

Amaya strode to the front of the teacher's desk and surveyed the classroom, watching as those who noticed her fell silent. Oh good, they understood her. She cracked her neck then put on a sickeningly sweet smile,

"So then guys, prom's coming up, right?" She didn't let them reply, "How many of you already have prom-dates?" A few people put their hands up, including the girl and the boy she had noticed talking just before, "Okay, well this doesn't concern you but keep quiet," she took a deep breath. Sakura and Temari sank in their seats, trying to hide the grins that were cracking out on their faces, "How many of you are thinking of asking Yume to prom?"

"Why is that any of your business?" called a boy from the back. Amaya's eyes turned to slits. She stepped forward,

"Because," the boy stared wide-eyed at the black-aura radiating off Amaya, "I'm her best friend." She turned back to the rest of the class, "So who's thinking it?"

A few of the boys raised their hand. Amaya nodded, the black-aura still pulsing around her. She smiled softly,

"So how many of you were thinking about asking her before she got famous?"

No one answered. Amaya's eyes turned icy again and she stamped her foot, making the boys flinch in their seats like puppies avoiding a water-spray. She nodded again, cracking her knuckles for effect,

"Well guess what? You're not asking her." Her eyes darted about the room, "And neither are any of you other guys," she wagged her finger in front of them, "you don't know her well enough! Got it?"

There was a murmur from the room but Amaya ignored it, knowing she'd gotten her point across. Don't get her wrong, she wanted Yume to have a prom-date, she just didn't think any of the boys from her form were suitable.

Seeing everyone reverting back to what they had been doing originally, Amaya decided to grab hold of Yume and drag her in. She turned and walked back out of the classroom, calling,

"Alright Yume, you can come in no-" She stopped in her tracks and her eye twitched. Yume was stood by a hall-monitor, complaining very loudly that she was not late; she just wasn't allowed in her classroom. Amaya decided to intervene.

She walked up to the pair, giving her best death-glare to the hall-monitor. He looked away from Yume, sensing eyes on him,

"Uh, yes? Can I help you?" He noticed it was Amaya – the girl who had tackled him to the floor a few months ago and repeatedly smashed his head against the ground. He backed away, holding his clipboard up in front of him as some sort of pitiful defence, "I- uhh...- she's your friend then? Oh...-uhh, I have to... go somewhere."

Amaya gave a smug smile as the hall-monitor dash out of sight. Oh she loved having power over people. She turned to Yume, putting her hands on her hips disapprovingly,

"And I thought I told you to stay _put_?"

Yume threw her hands over her head in a manor that reminded Amaya far too uncomfortably of Tobi.

"I did, I did, but the hall-monitor called me over!"

Amaya sighed, not wanting to coax out any more Tobi-like tendencies from her friend, so dismissed the matter,

"Riiiiight," she turned, grabbing hold of Yume by the wrist to pull her along, "let's get to form,"

Amaya walked along, pulling Yume with her as the blonde bounced with a spring in her step. Once in form the pair headed to the back of the room to sit with Sakura and Temari. They each looked up when the pair arrived, still laughing about Amaya's previous speech,

"Hey Yume," Sakura snickered, "Got a prom-date yet?"

Yume raised an eyebrow inquisitively, slipping into her seat by the wall next to Temari,

"Umm... no. Why?"

Amaya gave Sakura a swift – but hard – kick to the shins as she sat down next to her. Sakura doubled over, her head crashing onto the desk,

"Ouch! Amaya, that hurt!"

She shrugged,

"Serves you right,"

Amaya ignored the rest of Sakura's moaning and took the seat next to her, by the wall, turning to talk to Yume. She was about mid-conversation; when Sakura was beginning to pull her head up off the desk; when someone walked over to the table, interrupting them. His face was shy, looking slightly timid about something. He was fidgeting with his hands, obviously nervous about what he was about to say. Amaya's eyes narrowed. Had he not _listened_ to her declaration of war? She said through gritted teeth,

"Naruto, you better not be-"

"Sakura," Amaya stopped abruptly, hearing the blonde boy muttering her other friend's name. She looked across to Sakura; as were the others, and she was looking at Naruto, forcing her expression to stay calm. She asked, her voice wavering,

"Yes, Naruto?"

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly,

"I was kinda' wondering..." Sakura leaned forwards in anticipation, "would you..." the other three girls leaned forward too, "...like to..."

Amaya smacked her hand down on to the table hard,

"Spit it out, you jelly-legged girl!"

Naruto jumped to attention, suddenly spurred on by the madness in Amaya's eyes,

"Wouldyouliketogotopromwithme?"

The girls looked at Sakura, waiting for her reaction. She blinked. Was she the only one who hadn't understood that?

"W-what was the, Naruto?"

He took a deep breath then spoke slower, as if concentrating on getting every word out perfectly,

"Would you like to go to prom with me, Sakura?"

A heated blush burst onto her face, making her bury the bottom half of her face in her arms to hide it. She looked up at Naruto with wide eyes. She didn't replying. Temari nudged her,

"Well? Say something?"

Sakura lifted her head up, shaking herself slightly because she knew she looked so silly right now, then muttered a quiet,

"Umm, yes... Naruto, I'd love to."

Naruto's eyes lit up, hearing what he'd been hoping for. Before Sakura could stop him, he turned around and jumped up into the air, yelling,

"Yeah! Sakura's going to prom with me! Believe it!"

This drew the attention of most people in the class. The blush on Sakura's cheeks was replaced by a vein pulsing on her forehead.

"Naruto..."

He turned round then jumped back, seeing the monster inside Sakura beginning to awaken. Fearing for his life, he turned and ran back over to his seat,

"You've already said yes! You can't say no now!"

The other three girls laughed as Sakura sank into her seat. Temari turned to Yume and Amaya, now using the top of Sakura's head as a shoulder-rest,

"So who do you two want to go with to prom anyway?"

Before Amaya even muttered a reply her eyes glazed over and she went into one of her fantasies – no doubt about a certain raven-haired guitarist. Yume laughed loudly, then turned back to look at Temari. She said, thinking it over as she spoke,

"I'm not sure really. I guess-..." She cut herself off, not wanting to say what she'd been thinking, "no, I'm not sure." Temari raised an eyebrow,

"Oh really?" She always had a knack for telling when her friends were lying, "Is he someone I know?"

"Hey, I just said-"

"Yume, you're a terrible liar," She leaned forward, pursing her lips together, "Now do I know him or not?"

Yume sighed. Some people.

"I... guess you do,"

Temari's eyes lit up like fireworks. She pressed on,

"Does he go to this school?"

Yume shook her head. Temari put her finger to her chin, thinking.

"So...- hey, he's not one of your band-members, is he?" She said contemplatively. Had Yume been less hyper she probably would have seen the hint of panicked curiosity in her friend's eyes. She shook her head vigorously,

"No way! Those guys are like brothers to me!"

Temari gave a leap of joy inside her head. Well, with her choice in the clear she decided to try and figure out who Yume's mystery man was. She counted on her fingers,

"So I know him-"

"-sort of."

Temari nodded,

"So I know him sort of, he doesn't go to this school and and he's not one of your band-members..." She sat back in her seat, placing a finger to the bottom of her chin, "So is he..." Her eyes suddenly lit up again, "Wait! Is it one of the members of-"

"-Good morning, class," Kakashi walked into the classroom holding his briefcase and a pile of notes. Yume gave a sigh of relief. It sounded as if Temari had been right on the money there, but of course she never would have been able to figure out the exact person. Even Yume didn't know. It was too hard to choose right now. And hey, she never knew, she might get asked by someone from school instead! Not likely but a possibility.

Seeing Temari too preoccupied with the sudden appearance of Kakashi to remember her idea, Yume turned and decided to snap Amaya out of her daze, seeing her beginning to drool. Lovely.

oOo

By the time it came to the lesson just before lunch – PE – the effects of Amaya's 'super-pick-me-up drink' had finally started to wear off Yume. Probably not the best of timings considering she had to endure PE without any extra boost now, but never the less she was happy to have lost the buzzing in her ears. As she arrived at the sports-hall with Amaya, Kakashi stood outside the changing-rooms, saying as they walked towards the girls' room,

"Okay guys, we're doing orienteering today so high socks and trainers please."

Yume's shoulders sagged, hearing what she would have to do this lesson. Amaya grinned, grabbing hold of her,

"I'll be your partner!"

_**'We're going to get lost...'**_

"Okay," She said, smiling brightly at Amaya. Neither of them could read a map and she knew it.

The pair went into the changing-room and – after Yume had stopped Amaya from throwing one of the school's hockey-sticks at Kimiko – the pair got changed into their PE-kits of indecently short shorts, a polo-shirt, knee-high socks and football boots. As Yume was tying up the lace to her second boot, Kakashi walked in to the room – as always, gaining screams from the still-changing girls and a near-miss of a shoe to the head. He turned quickly to look at the door he'd just come through, then said over his shoulder,

"So today I thought we could mix it up a bit, you know?" Yume and Amaya looked at each other, already worried. Kakashi pulled something from his pocket and held it up, "When you're finished in here, come outside and take a piece of paper from this bag," He shook the green pouch to make sure everyone knew what he was talking about, "When the bag is empty I'll tell you what to do next."

With this he swiftly evacuated the room, letting the girls finish changing in peace. Once he was gone, Sakura walked over and shrugged her shoulders,

"What do you think that was about?"

Yume shook her head, not knowing, but Amaya grinned devilishly. She tapped the side of her nose,

"Sounds like we're playing seven minutes in heaven, to me."

Sakura and Yume both looked at her with mixed expressions on their faces. They were both hoping she was wrong. The last time time Yume had played that game, she'd been locked in the closet the whole night... with Kimimaro which wasn't so bad, but that's not the point.

Once all three were ready they left the changing-rooms together and headed outside into the sun, where the boys finished changing were stood, each holding a piece of paper. Yume and Sakura looked at each other and Amaya marched at the front, looking happy. They walked over to the boy with the palest skin under the sun – Sai – and Amaya snatched hold of his piece of paper. She looked at it then handed it back to him. He blinked in slight surprise. She turned back to look at the other two girls, an even bigger grin on her face,

"It is seven minutes in heaven! The papers have numbers on them!"

"What?" The pair yelled in unison. Just then Kakashi appeared next to them, holding the bag out,

"Pick a piece of paper, ladies."

Sakura was hesitant, and before Yume even had a chance to lift her hand Amaya leaned in and grabbed a slip. She pulled it out and opened it, looked at the number, then she took a deep breath,

"Who's got-"

"Wait, Amaya." She stopped mid-yell, looking at Kakashi. She let out the rest of her breath.

"Fine."

Yume and Sakura both took a slip of paper each, then they stood around with the rest of the students, waiting for the slower people still back in the changing-rooms. Once everyone was out and had a piece of paper each, Kakashi walked to the front of the group and said,

"Okay guys, here's what's going to happen," He held up a blank piece of paper, "As you have probably noticed, each of you has a number on their piece of paper. Now, this is the tricky part," He produced another blank piece of paper, "Each piece of paper has a twin – another card with the same number on it, that is."

Yume looked at Amaya's card and Amaya looked at hers. Different numbers. They knew what was coming next...

"Well, whoever has the same number as you is your partner for today's lesson," He ignored the chorus of protests, giving the students in front of him a smile, "Once you've found your partner, come to me and I'll give you a map, a compass and start you off on your trail."

As people began to shift about, asking their friends if they had the same number as each other, Sakura leant across to Amaya and said darkly,

"So much for seven minutes in heaven,"

Amaya laughed,

"Ah well." She looked down at her piece of paper then looked up again, grinning, "Who knows? It still could be!" Sakura looked at her in puzzlement so she added, "It depends who your partner is!"

With this, Amaya ran off into the crowd, looking around for her partner. Yume and Sakura looked at each other, laughed, checked that if by some miracle they had the same number – they didn't – then headed off into the crowd of people, searching for their respective partners.

Yume looked around, seeing people starting to pair off. She held her breath hopefully. She _really_ wanted to be partnered with one of her friends – well, anyone but Ino really. Sasuke wasn't in this class so she didn't have to bother with him. She walked forwards, over to the small group of her male friends and Hinata, watching them notice her one-by-one as she drew nearer. She grinned, holding her piece of paper with the number '4' on it,

"Any of you guys got this?"

Gaara shook his head, pointing at Lee next to him,

"I'm with him,"

Lee grinned his blindness-inducing smile, slapping Gaara on the back,

"We shall join together and show our youthfulness through this test!"

Gaara; his eyes turning murderous for a second, then deciding he was too tired to be bothered murdering the pudding-bowl-haired boy, sighed heavily, wishing now that he hadn't gotten out of bed this morning. Yume laughed, seeing his gloomy expression. Seeing the two most unlikely people to be paired together, paired together, she turned her attention to the others instead,

"Any one?"

The remaining few looked at her piece of paper, then checked their own numbers,

"That's me."

Yume watched her other friends part like waves to reveal Shikamaru with his hand raised. Inside, Yume started partying. At least it was one of her friends. Shikamaru walked forward, thinking much the same thing as he looked across to Gaara trying to hold Lee off. He walked up to Yume then held out his piece of paper just to make sure.

"Well," he said, smiling lazily, "I suppose we're partners then." Thank goodness.

The pair walked over to Kakashi where a small group of paired-up students had formed. At the front of the group there was one pair making a lot of noise. Yume's shoulders sagged when she realised what was going on. Shikamaru glanced at her,

"What's the matter?"

Yume pointed through the crowd to the pair that were harassing Kakashi so much he had his clip-board held up in defence,

"Amaya got paired with Kimiko."

Shikamaru looked through the crowds, spotting the two black-haired girls, one stood on either side of Kakashi, yelling at him at the top of their lungs. He laughed and rubbed the back of his head,

"Man, do I feel sorry for him."

Yume shook her head, not seeing the funny side of the situation,

"One of those two won't come back alive."

At that very moment the two decided to turn their tempers from Kakashi onto each other. They pounced. Yume buried her head in her hands in shame.

oOo

"Come on, Shikamaru!" Yume called, putting her hands on her hips for the forth time this lesson, "Be a bit more enthusiastic, will you?"

Shikamaru strolled along the school's woodland floor, his hands behind his head leisurely as he looked up at the sky,

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

He walked along, minding his own business and not caring much for this lesson at all, until he was suddenly pulled from his thoughts, accidentally walking straight into Yume; knocking her over. She sat on the ground, glaring up at him with her arms crossed. He sighed, rolling his eyes as if it had been Yume's own fault for not moving out of his way, then bent down and gave her a hand up,

"Sorry, Yume,"

She rolled her eyes, taking hold of his hand,

"Don't worry about it,"

She made it back up to a standing position then looked back down at her map. It showed a diagram of the school-grounds, with red numbered circles dotted here and there, telling Yume where she had to go. It had been quarter of an hour since the pair had set off on their course, they had to get to twenty different marks... and they were on four.

Yume turned on her heel and started marching away, calling over her shoulder,

"Let's get going!"

Shikamaru watched her speeding away for a moment then rolled his eyes and threw his hands behind his head again, turning to look back up at the sky as he walked.

Yume kept her head looking down at the map, trying to figure out where the next mark was. It had to be somewhere around this part of the woods... the only question was where? She'd looked around a few times but the orange and white flag was no-where in sight. Shikamaru appeared behind her and reached over her shoulder, taking hold of the map. She looked back at him, watching him stare blankly at it.

"Any ideas?"

For a moment he didn't look up, but then he did, and handed the map back to Yume. He turned left and started making his way through the bracken,

"This way."

Yume looked back down at the map, wondering how on earth he knew where he was going. She shrugged, deciding she didn't care; she was just glad he knew what he was doing, and followed behind him.

They arrived moments later at the fifth orange and white flag, so Yume punched in the sheet of tracking paper, then looked to Shikamaru again,

"Where to next?"

He looked down at the map for a moment, then looked up again, pointing back the way they'd come from,

"That wa-..." He stopped. He looked back over his shoulder; he'd heard something. Yume had heard it too. A faint cry in the distance. For a moment Yume looked concerned, but then she heard it again and realised what it was. Her shoulders sagged,

"Guess who's fighting again?"

Shikamaru looked off into the woods, hearing more yelling, and laughed.

"Good old Amaya."

Yume rolled her eyes, debating whether or not to get Amaya anger-management lessons, then jumped a foot in the air when she felt her phone go off in her top. She pulled her phone out and said to Shikamaru,

"You get going, I'll catch up in a minute."

Shikamaru, sensing he wasn't wanted around at the moment, walked off towards the next mark, throwing his hands back up behind his head. Yume flicked the screen on on her phone and looked at the _'1 New Message: Minato'._ She raised her eyebrows.

'_I wonder what's up?'_

She pressed the button on her phone and read the message; '_Hello Yume, hope you are having fun at school. Got something important to say. Meet outside the front of school at lunch break. Be discreet. See you then.'_

For a moment she pondered what it was he was going to say to her, then put her phone back in her shirt. She shrugged her shoulders. Ah well, at least he'd learnt not to drag her out of lessons now.

She turned on her heel and ran off in the direction Shikamaru had gone.

Elsewhere, Amaya and Kimiko were walking along the school field, every-so-often walking ahead of the other to stick their foot out to trip the other up. This time it was Amaya's turn. She could see a large patch of muddy water just up ahead. Perfect. She turned to Kimiko,

"Oi, shit-face, where are we going next?"

The girl glared at Amaya, but, being the competitive person she was, she looked down at the map; trying to figure out where they had to get to. Amaya smirked. Too easy.

As Kimiko was preoccupied, Amaya walked ahead a little faster, stopping when she was next to the puddle. She looked over her shoulder to see Kimiko approaching, her face in the map. The black-haired girl continued to walk forward, and Amaya's evil grin continued to grow; that is until Kimiko side-stepped Amaya and walked straight past her outstretched foot. Now what was even worse, was as she was walking past Amaya, her eyes still glued to the map, she stuck out her back foot and caught Amaya in the back of the knees, sending her crashing into a horrible muddy mess. She didn't even look up. Amaya's eye twitched.

oOo

It was half an hour later and Yume and Shikamaru had finally arrived at mark sixteen-of-twenty. Yume had resorted to dragging Shikamaru along behind her as she walked, because Yume walking with extra weight, slowing her down, was still faster than Shikamaru's normal walking pace.

'_**Lazy idiot...'**_

"Come on, Shika! We're almost done!"

Shikamaru, being pulled along – quite literally by his fingertips – sighed heavily. He'd hoped this lesson would have been a time to relax in the sun, seeing as though they were outdoors and away from the teachers. Apparently not.

Yume dragged him along, back into the school forest; where he'd told her to go. So far they'd been all around the school-grounds; the forest, the field, the flower-garden, the car-park, next to subject-blocks and even close to the toilets. The forest seemed to be the place that had the most marks in it, and it was a shame because the forest was also the place furthest away from the rest of the school.

Yume looked around, her eyes flickering between the map and the ferns in front of her. She took a step forward, then looked back at the map. Crap. She was lost again.

She looked over her shoulder, laughing nervously and feeling quite ashamed,

"Uhh... help?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, pulling his hand free of hers to take hold of the map. In an instant he realised what the problem was, looking back up at Yume with an amused smile on his face,

"You had the map sideways." He turned the map round and looked over it, oblivious to Yume's embarrassed whimpering. For a moment they stood still, Shikamaru collecting their bearings, then he said, pointing his hand,

"That wa-" He stopped. He'd heard something again. Yume looked over her shoulder, having heard it to. She paused for a second, looking into the thicket of the woods, then jumped slightly when she heard the noise again. I wasn't Amaya or Kimiko yelling this time. It was some sort of high-pitched whistling; only it was getting louder, and as it did it seemed to distort from a whistle, more into a drone. Yume looked back at Shikamaru, shrugging her shoulders, but as she did so he seemed to spot something behind her and his eyes grew wide. He raised his arm and pointed, lost for words. Yume stared at her friend a moment in shock, then darted her head round to see what terrible being he'd seen-

Yume was pushed backwards into Shikamaru forcefully, only she missed her footing and tripped over onto the floor. Someone had their arms around her head. She could hear the high-pitched sound again, only it was much louder now, and more distinguishable.

She could not see anything, but this didn't stop her from realising what was going on. A vein pulsed on her forehead. She took a deep, _deep_ breath,

"Tobi," She said, her voice slightly muffled, "If you don't get off me and tell me what you're doing here, I'll let Hidan know the password to your cabbage-patch-kid vault."

Before Yume even had time to think, the black in front of her eyes had vanished, and stood in front of her, looking more scared than Shikamaru, was Tobi. He was shaking his head violently,

"No! Yume mustn't! Tobi doesn't want Hidan to hurt Mary-Ellen!"

Yume sighed, laughing almost at Tobi's idiocy. She didn't even _know_ the password to his beloved cabbage-patch-kid's vault. Ah well, he was off her now; problem solved.

Yume pushed herself back up to standing, then walked over and patted Tobi on the shoulder.

"It's nice to see you too."

He grinned, suddenly realising his precious 'Mary-Ellen's' life was not in danger, and said brightly,

"Hi~!"

Yume shook her head, laughing again.

"So how come you're here then?"

Tobi bounced up and down, making his way towards Shikamaru - the boy he didn't know.

"Tobi had a free-period," he bounced closer, "so he wanted to come and see Yume because he hasn't seen her in a _looooooong_ time," closer still, "And Tobi wanted to see what Yume's school is like and-"

Tobi, his arms outstretched, was jerked backwards from Shikamaru by Yume. She sighed, watching him fall to the floor in a heap by her feet. She looked up at Shikamaru, seeing him staring curiously at Tobi,

"You'll thank me for it, someday."

He chuckled. Tobi picked himself up from the ground, rubbing his head slightly,

"Yume, that was mean!" He whined. Yume sighed, deciding to ignore him. She turned her back and walked over to Shikamaru.

"So, where are we going?"

Tobi perked up again, suddenly seeing a chance of fun and adventure! He bounded over to the two, smiling happily,

"What are you doing?"

Yume ignored him but Shikamaru said,

"We're looking for treasure."

Tobi's eyes lit up. Yume on the other hand looked at Shikamaru as if to say 'What on earth are you talking about'. Shikamaru smirked. He knew Tobi's type. He would use it to his advantage.

"Yeah, we're looking for treasure. Want to help us out?"

Tobi nodded his head enthusiastically. Yume, realising what was going on, stifled a laugh. Shikamaru turned so that he was next to Tobi, then pointed at the map.

"Okay, we're here," he said, pointing to a spot in the woods. Tobi nodded his head as if he understood, "Okay, now the treasure is here," he pointed to the mark in the forest, "here, here and here," he pointed to the other three. He looked at Tobi, making sure he was following, "now all you have to do is-" he motioned for Yume to give him the tracking paper so she handed it over, looking on amusedly as Shikamaru's plan unfolded, "- go to each of the spots marked on the map and punch the sheet in, in the little hole." Tobi nodded again, so Shikamaru patted him on the back, "When you're done, get back up to school and you'll get your treasure."

Tobi bounced up and down, suddenly grabbing Shikamaru around the head, giving him a suffocating hug. He sang,

"Tobi will! Tobi will! Tobi's a good boy and he wants to get the treasure!"

As he was about to set off, Shikamaru took hold of his shoulder, grinding him to a halt. He looked seriously at Akatsuki's drummer for a second, then held out the map,

"You're up against other people, they want the treasure too. It's a race and the first man back gets the gold, okay?"

Tobi's eyes narrowed and he stepped back on his heel, preparing himself, "Okay, Tobi understands."

Shikamaru smiled, slapping him on the back,

"Then get going!"

"Right!" And with that, Tobi ran forward, heading off into the forest at an alarming rate, causing shock-waves to ripple out across the trees and forest plants. As he disappeared into the thicket, Yume appeared upside Shikamaru with her arms crossed, a smile on her face,

"You're so mean, Shika."

He smiled back, turning on his heel; heading for his favourite cloud-watching spot,

"I'm not mean, Yume. I'm using my initiative."

She laughed, following behind him.

oOo

It was another fifteen minutes before the two teens decided to head back up to school, leaving the sunny school-banking where they had been watching the sky together. Surely Tobi would be done by now?

The pair walked together, talking and laughing, right up until they got back to the school's gym, then laughed even more when sure enough, they saw Tobi at the doors, half swamped by fan-girls and complaining that he wanted his treasure, whilst Kakashi tried to say he had no idea what the boy was talking about.

Just then Yume turned, hearing another familiar voice. She laughed even harder, almost collapsing on the floor. Walking towards her were Amaya and Kimiko, both covered in mud and leaves, hair sticking out at places and the map held between them. As they walked past, Yume asked through laughter,

"Have fun?"

Amaya didn't reply. She shoved Yume into the crowd of Tobi's fans.

oOo

So once the PE lesson was over, Tobi finally left – after Tsunade gave him a bag of chocolate coins to stop him from complaining so very loudly – and Yume stood, waiting outside the girls' showers for Amaya. She put her foot up against the wall, closing her eyes to think – a thing she had little time to do these days.

Her first exam was in two week's time. Had she revised? Not much! She sighed, opening her eyes again as she heard the water shut off. She wasn't totally sure what she was worrying about – she'd heard about loads of people who had gone into exams without revising and still managed to come out as a-... dog-washer. Yume's head drooped. Oh well, it was probably a good thing she liked dogs.

These days she just never had enough time to actually sit down properly and study. It was either her band, or Akatsuki, or even just Amaya trying to pull her out to a party. It was always something.

Yume looked down at her pocket, feeling her phone go off again. Checking to make sure there were no teachers around, she reached into her pocket and pulled the phone out, turning the screen on to check the message; '_1 New Message: Minato'_. She pressed the button and read, '_We're here now. See you soon.'_

Yume raised her eyebrow inquisitively. We? Who's we? - oh wait, yeah, the guys. But why would they be here too? Minato must really want to say something urgent.

Just then Amaya appeared out of the showers in her uniform, her hair fully dry and her eyes like daggers.

"Right, where is she? I'm going to rip that Kimiko to piece-" Yume shut her phone. She turned to Amaya and said, cutting her off to save herself having to listen to Amaya passing a death-warrant,

"Hey, sorry Amaya, I've got to go."

Amaya stopped, looking at Yume questioningly.

"Oh really? Where are you going?"

Yume didn't really want to tell Amaya that her band was parked just outside school. It would only cause problems – not specifically Amaya, but she wouldn't be able to keep it a secret for long, and then they would have to deal with – Yume gulped – fans.

"I've just got to go and talk to... Mr. Sarutobi about some maths questions. I don't understand something."

"Ahh," Amaya laughed, nudging her friend in the side, "Say no more! I'll leave you to it then because I'm not being seen dead in a maths room when I don't have to be!"

Yume smiled, laughing at her friend – slightly glad she'd bought the lie,

"Alright, well," She picked up her school-bag, "I'll see you after lunch then."

With this said she turned on her heel and left the shower-block, heading out towards the front of school.

As soon as she'd gone Amaya's eyes narrowed. There was no way Yume was going to ask about a maths problem. She _had_ no maths problems! She was a freakin' brainiac! It must be something else.

"What are you up to, Yume...?" Amaya picked up her school-things and headed out, intending on tailing Yume. Unbeknown by her, as soon as she was out of the room the doors to the other two shower-cubical opened, revealing two sets of eyes. The two girls walked out of the showers, looking at the door Amaya had just passed through.

"Well," one said with a smile on her lips, "What do you say to following them," she looked to her side, " 'ey Temari?"

The blonde looked back at her friend, the same smile playing out on her lips,

"I think that's a good idea, Sakura."

With this the two walked forward, leaving the shower-block empty.

Yume walked along, every-so-often looking over her shoulder to check no one was following her. She was almost out of school now; she just had to clear the school-gate. It was surprising; not even a fan had tried to jump her yet. _Yet_.

She reached the school-gate and put her hand on the metal – turning to look behind her. There was no one around. Oh good. She left the school-grounds.

A little away; hidden behind the school flag-pole, Amaya stood, breathing heavily. That had been the fastest she'd commando-rolled, ever. She looked over her shoulder, past the flag-pole, seeing that Yume had gone. Hmm... where _was_ she going?

She jumped out from behind the flag-pole, nearly accidentally diving on a first-year, then ran off towards the school-gate, closely pursued by the unnoticed Sakura and Temari behind. They had no idea what was going on; they just wanted to sneak up on Amaya and scare her half-to-death, that's all.

Yume carried on walking, spotting the limo parked next to her old practice hall. She looked up at the building, absent-mindedly thinking over what had happened in there. A lot of Ino yelling, lots of drinking, lots of swearing, a little bit of music. Ha, what a time.

Yume stopped walking, arriving at the large white limousine. She reached the back door and knocked a couple of times, then waited. As she did so she looked over her shoulder – Amaya diving into a bush as she did. The window on the door wound down a bit, revealing a pair of purple eyes.

"Who is it~?"

Yume rolled her eyes,

"Suigetsu, you can see it's me."

She heard him snicker,

"I'm not letting you in unless-" Yume watched Suigetsu being dragged away from the door by someone, then Kimimaro's eyes appeared just before the door was opened from the inside. The white-haired boy stepped aside, sitting back on one of the leather-seats.

"Thank you," Yume said as she entered the limousine, shutting the door behind her.

Outside, Amaya scurried along, up to the limousine. She stopped outside it, crouching down to press her ear against the door without being seen. She could hear voices but couldn't hear what they were saying. Damn. It was probably something important too.

Yume sat down and put her school-bag to the side of her, next to Haku, but then she jumped and nearly screamed when there was a loud banging on the door. Yume could see a silhouette outside.

"Yume! Let me in, woman!"

The other four in the limo looked towards Yume, a couple laughing. Yume hung her head,

"She must have followed me here..."

Minato smiled,

"Well, let her in then. We can't have her out in the cold."

Yume's eye's widened,

"But-"

Kimimaro opened the door only to have Amaya launch herself inside, landing on the seat next to Haku and hugging him. She yelled,

"Hey there, muffin-top!"

Haku looked startled and Yume sweat-dropped. Minato laughed,

"Well you're energetic."

Suddenly Amaya turned shy again, letting go of Haku and bowing her head,

"Thank you... almighty-awesomeness."

Even Yume had to laugh.

Once everyone was reasonably comfortable, Yume looked across to Haku and asked,

"What's going on?"

Haku shrugged his shoulders,

"We don't know. Minato wouldn't tell us until you were here."

Suigetsu waved his arm about lazily, trying to catch Minato's attention,

"Yeah, and now she's here so tell us why you're wasting our lunch-break!" He was swiftly hit upside the head by Kimimaro. Minato chuckled at Suigetsu's impatience, then turned to look at the group as a whole. He picked up his silver brief-case. Yume and Haku looked at each other. It was the brief-case. The brief-case that meant business. There was something major about to go down; even Suigetsu could tell because he'd suddenly fallen silent. Minato noticed and laughed,

"Look at you! You should see your faces!" The others didn't move – apart from Amaya. She didn't have a clue what was going on. Minato sighed, rubbing the back of his head, "Well I was hoping I could let you down easy but-..." Yume's heart skipped a beat. Minato's face had fallen sullen. The teens all looked between one another, waiting in anticipation. Minato didn't finish.

"What?" Yume, Suigetsu and Amaya yelled in unison. Minato shook his head, unclasping his brief-case,

"It's just..." The brief-case fell open and Minato's face suddenly cracked out into a grin, startling them all, "You're going on tour!"

There was silence. Minato looked up from his brief-case to see four sets of eyes staring at him wildly. The four band-members seemed to have frozen stiff. Amaya on the other hand, slapped Yume on the back,

"Hey, nice one! Good for you!"

Yume was speechless. Tour? Now? Really? On top of everything else? Inside, her brain was having a melt-down. This was all she needed!

Minato decided to continue to explain, seeing the only one making any reaction at all, Amaya,

"The tour will be across the summer holidays, so it's after all of your exams – don't worry, I did take them into account," He smiled, seeing only Yume's face slacken a little, "We'll be going everywhere, starting up here in Konoha," he pulled out the map he'd brought specially for the occasion, "then we'll travel down to Suna, stay there for three nights, then head up to Iwa for a while, then make our way back across to Kumo, then to Kiri, and then back home to Konoha again."

He looked up, seeing Haku with his hand raised. He smiled,

"Yes?"

Haku leaned forward, his eyes looking worried,

"How long will this tour take? It's just I don't want to be..."

Minato grinned,

"I'm glad you brought that up!" He turned to the others, "It's two months-" He watched their faces drop, "-But home-sickness won't be a problem because I'll give your parents a list of each of the places we'll be staying. You can contact them, and they you, whenever you want."

This information only seemed to make Haku happier. The other three were still quite wide-eyed. Minato frowned,

"What's the matter, guys?"

The three looked between themselves, then Kimimaro said, voicing what everyone else was thinking,

"You're taking us too... very big cities. Don't you think you're aiming too high?"

Minato shook his head, his determined smile in place as ever,

"Well, I was going to leave this as a surprise for later, but judging by your faces I think you need an incentive to perform." The others looked as him curiously, so he reached down into his brief-case and produced a blank CD. "This," he said, "is the demo version of your CD."

Suigetsu's jaw dropped open,

"You said that would take two months to make!"

Minato raised his hand, saying; trying to make Suigetsu understand,

"This is just the demo. It's one of a kind and not every thing's finished yet."

Suigetsu sat back in his seat, suddenly not as interested,

"Oh,"

"But," Minato smirked, "I sent this CD off to my radio-branch; Kyuubi FM, this morning and they played it live on air."

Yume's eyes were wide again. Kyuubi FM was one of the biggest radio-stations around; it was listened to all over the world. She gulped, feeling a nervous lump in the back of her throat. If there CD had been played globally, that could only mean one thing...

"You guys were a massive hit!" - Oh, right. Yume had been expected him to say he'd lost all of his ratings because of them. Never mind.

Minato continued, putting the CD back into the brief-case,

"After they played your song, ratings and phone-messages rocketed. People love your music, guys!" He beamed, proud of his young band, "Konoha Chibi Parade is a rapidly rising global star!" He threw his hands up in childish excitement.

Five jaws hit the floor – well, four hit the floor, plus the one in Kimimaro's mind. He was too cool to show his surprise, obviously.

Amaya jumped up, overly-enthusiastic,

"Can I have tickets to the shows in Konoha?"

Amaya was always good at breaking the tension. Everyone laughed at her.

Outside the limo, Temari and Sakura were stood, looking at the vehicle in awe. They'd never seen anything like it. It was so big... so sparkly. They were so engrossed, they'd almost forgotten about the people inside. They only snapped from their daze when they heard laughter from inside the limousine. They crept closer.

Seeing everyone in the limo looking decidedly still in shock, Kimimaro – seeing the situation called for it – decided to distract the others' minds from the thought of touring,

"So," he said, leaning back in his seat and grabbing the others' attention, "Yume, how is school going?"

She turned her head from Minato, glad for a subject change,

"It's going great, thanks!" She laughed, looking slightly as if she were forcing it, "We've got exams in a couple of weeks,"

Amaya grabbed hold of Yume around the shoulders, shaking her slightly as she grinned at the boys,

"Yume's been revising loads!"

Suigetsu laughed, pointing at Yume and Amaya smugly,

"Ha! We don't have any more exams. We took them in the winter!"

Haku raised his hand timidly; drawing Amaya's attention away from strangling Suigetsu for being a no-good, big-headed, smug-faced pri-

"Actually I still have my music exam in a week."

Suigetsu laughed loudly, dismissing Haku's problem,

"Yeah, but you're always practicing; you'll be fine!"

Haku smiled slightly; also quietly confident in himself. Yume and Amaya, on the other hand, were looking more and more depressed at the thought of having so many exams to endure, when the academy kids didn't. They decided to ignore Suigetsu's still-smug face and console in each other. Amaya patted Yume on the back,

"Don't worry, we've only got two months of exams left-"

"-Ha! Two months? Unlucky!-"

"-and then it's prom, so we can just look forward to-"

"Prom?" The pair looked sideways at Haku, seeing him staring curiously at them, "You have a leaving-prom at your school?"

Yume's jaw dropped open,

"You _don't_?"

He shook his head slightly. Kimimaro decided to add, seeing Haku start to pout,

"At the academy, by the time it gets to the end of the year, the only thing students tend to think about is getting out of there. We spend the year there without any major holidays, so all we think about is leaving. The lack of a prom never seems to be a problem."

Amaya, seeing how upset Haku seemed to be acting, looked devilishly at Suigetsu, a smirk playing its way onto her lips,

"You may not have any more exams, but you don't get a prom either so sucks to you, bitch-fac-"

"Would you like to come to our prom then?" Yume interrupted, seeing a chance to cheer Haku up and feeling she should let her unprivileged friends enjoy the wonders of a prom. Amaya's jaw dropped open.

"No, Yume!" She started crying loudly, seeing Suigetsu start to smirk again, "Don't take away the only thing that lets me gloat to these rich, over-privileged-" Yume threw her hand over Amaya's mouth, not letting her finish her insult. She laughed nervously,

"So, guys, want to come?"

Haku nodded his head rapidly up and down, suddenly grinning the same way he'd done that time when they'd been told about the photo-shoot at Mizukage Studios,

"Absolutely!"

Yume smiled at his eagerness then turned to the other two boys,

"Guys?"

Kimimaro nodded his head and Suigetsu shrugged,

"Well," he grinned, "why not?"

"Great!" Yume said, throwing her hands up in the air, leaving Amaya's mouth unprotected,

"-girly, stuck-up pretty-boys!" She yelled finally, glad to finish her insult. Everyone looked at her for a moment, wondering what on earth she was talking about, but then Suigtsu's eyes narrowed,

"So we're girly and stuck-up, are we?"

"You forgot 'pretty-boys'," Amaya said with a smirk. Suigetsu shook his head,

"Actually I agree; I am good-looking after all," He flashed Yume and Amaya a 'sexy smile'. Yume burst out laughing, seeing him looking more like a Cheshire-cat than anyone sexy. His face dropped,

"What was wrong with that?"

Yume said, squinting at him through laughter,

"You look like-" Amaya threw her hand over Yume's mouth, her eyes suddenly narrowed to slits.

"What was that noise?" She said, looking towards the limo door. The boys and Minato turned their heads, looking at where the noise had come from. It sounded like something had been shoved against the side of the vehicle. Kimimaro, sitting closest to the door, decided to try and figure out what it was. He couldn't see anything stood outside so he leaned over and opened the door. From where he was sat he couldn't see anything, but of course Suigetsu, sat on the other side of the door, smirked when he saw what was outside,

"Well hello there, girls."

Yume and Amaya stared curiously, then two heads popped round the door-frame with sheepish looks on their faces,

"Hey Yume, Amaya, … Mister Uzumaki," the pair said, waving briefly at everyone. Amaya, seeing who it was, jumped to her feet, yelling loudly as she did so,

"Sakura, Temari, what the hell are you doing here?"

They said in unison, acting rather defensively,

"The same as you! We followed Yume!"

The four boys in the limousine looked towards Yume. Minato chuckled,

"So much for discretion."

Yume shrugged, grinning,

"Sorry. I didn't see them behind me."

Minato smiled at the group then looked down at his watch, checking the time. He jumped slightly, then looked up with his usual casual expression,

"Ladies, I'm sorry to interrupt you but we really have to get going – we have to get to band-practice now."

"Oh," Temari said hurriedly, "That's okay! We'll leave now, don't worry!" She turned on her heel and started to shove Sakura from the limousine, gaining angry protests from the pinkette,

"Hey, but I want to-"

"Go!" Temari said, giving Sakura one final and powerful shove out the door. She left moments later, her face turning pink as she walked past Kimimaro and saw him watching her. When the pair were gone, Amaya and Yume stood up too and made their way to the door, only as Yume was about to exit the other four laughed and Suigetsu grabbed hold of her arm. She turned around, her eyes slightly larger,

"What?"

Suigetsu laughed louder and pulled her back, sending her crashing into the seat next to him,

"Duh, you're part of the band. Where are you going?"

Yume, realising then that 'band-practice' had to involve her, suddenly shook her head, saying quickly,

"I can't! I've got to get back to school – I have a load of things to revis-"

"No, not a chance, Yume." Suigetsu laughed, "We've got to get ready if we're going on tour in two months!"

Yume saw Suigetsu's happy face then looked out of the door to see Amaya looking back in at her. She gave her a look as if to say 'get me out of here' but Amaya seemed not to catch it.

"Going to band-practice? Okay! Have fun!" The raven-haired girl grinned, waving slightly, then closed the door. Yume sagged. Suigetsu noticed and leaned over, messing up her hair playfully,

"Cheer up! Two months and you don't have to worry about exams any more!"

Yume smiled half-heartedly at him.

Minato nodded his head then tapped on the glass to signal the driver to set off.

As they pulled away from the curb, Yume looked out of the window at her school, seeing Amaya walking through the gates. She had exams in two weeks, band-practice and now a tour to 'look forward' to. This was going to get hectic, she could tell.

* * *

_I hope you've enjoyed this chapter - I just couldn't resist having Amaya and Kimiko fighting with each other again! See you next chapter!  
_

_X-Deidara's Lover-X_


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters

Claimer: I own Yume and Amaya so keep them out of your stories (unless I say otherwise)!

Me: Well... I don't have much to say (for once) so... enjoy the chapter!

Deidara: (staring open-mouthed)... Sarah... is that you, yeah?

Me: (laughs evilly) Mwuhaha, no, it's her evil twin!... YES OF COURSE IT'S ME, YOU IDIOT!

Deidara: (stared blankly for a moment, then hits Sarah upside the head) (turns to readers) Enjoy the chapter, yeah!

Me: (is unconscious) ...

* * *

Chapter 18

As Yume had been dreading, the next two weeks leading up to her exams were filled with a lot of necessary but unwanted band-practices and not a lot of revision. She knew she should say something, but she didn't want to let her friends down. They'd all worked so hard to get here and this tour would make them world famous. She'd already noticed the amount of fan-attacks around her daily-life had started to grow, and a few people had even stopped her in the school halls for autographs. She couldn't bring herself to say that that had to stop just so she could pass her exams. She'd tried; she really had, but she could never quite bring herself to put her foot down when Haku or Suigetsu looked at her with wide puppy-dog eyes, trying to get her to go to another band-rehearsal.

And that was where she was on her way home from now. She was sat in the back of the band's limousine, Kotetsu driving in the front, as she stared out of the window with tired eyes. Kotetsu looked in the rear-mirror and called back, seeing her looking glum,

"What's up, Miss Chiles?"

Yume pulled her head out of her hand and looked at him, smiling slightly,

"I'm just a little tired, that's all."

He nodded, putting his eyes back on the road,

"I've noticed you're getting more and more tired each time I see you. Maybe you should take a break?"

She laughed, flopping back against the soft limo seats,

"I wish it were that simple, Kotetsu, I really do."

He gave her a smile, then decided to close up the screen between them, giving her some privacy to do what he knew she wanted to. He said through the intercom,

"I'll wake you up when we get there."

She smiled, her eyes shutting slowly; blocking out the early evening sunset. Yume was glad tomorrow would bring the weekend. She still hadn't been able to sit down properly to get any revision done so she'd have to do it all tomorrow because she couldn't do it on Sunday - she had band-practice (even though her exam was the next day). She'd decided she'd lock Amaya out of the house tomorrow. Get rid of all distractions.

oOo

Twenty-or-so minutes later the limousine arrived outside Yume's house, and Yume was still asleep. The limousine parked up and Kotetsu got out, walking round to the back of the vehicle. He opened the door and saw Yume sleeping there, her head lolled to one side and her mouth slightly agape, looking peaceful. He smiled and stepped inside the limo, walking over to her. He shook her shoulder gently, trying to wake her up. She didn't budge. He tried again a little harder. She still didn't budge. He was going to try a third time, but knew she still wouldn't wake up. She had been _extremely_ tired. He'd had to drive her to and from the academy eleven times in the past two weeks. Rehearsals had obviously knocked it out of her.

Kotetsu reached down and scooped Yume up in his arms, leaving her to sleep. He made his way out of the limo then headed up to her house. He opened the gate with his hand then carried her up the steps to her front door, where he rang the doorbell. A short girl answered the door, comically covered in flour. She looked at him with her eyebrow raised for a moment, then spotted the sleeping girl in his arms. She burst out laughing.

Kotetsu gave Yume to the girl then nodded his thanks and walked away, getting back into the limo and driving off.

Amaya looked at Yume; her arm hooked under Yume's shoulders to keep her up, and smiled. She was dedicated, she had to give her that. A good thing too! Amaya enjoyed the steady supply of fan-made gifts that kept arriving on their doorstep. Yume only knew about about-a-third of the chocolates that had arrived...- What? Amaya had to take her cut, sheesh!

Amaya put her whisk down by the door and carried her friend upstairs, taking her through to her room and putting her to bed. As she turned to leave, Amaya heard Yume mutter something about a 'Peanut-butter monster' and laughed. That girl had weird dreams. She walked, her eyes flickering to the golden heart and the heart-necklace sat on the bedside-table for a moment, then she left the room; leaving Yume to sleep in peace.

oOo

The next morning Yume woke up later than she'd been expecting, almost not even able to call it morning any more. She dashed out of bed; regretting having slept in because she'd missed out on valuable study time!

'_Damn it! Why didn't my alarm clock go off?'_

_**'Look on the floor, idiot.'**_

Yume's eyes dropped to the floor. On it, by the bottom of her bedside-table, her clock lay in pieces. Yume had thrown it off her bed yesterday morning for waking her up at some God-forsaken hour.

'_Oh yeah. I forgot I smashed it...'_

_**'Yeah! You know, you are REALLY grumpy in a morning.'**_

_'Excuse me, WHO ISN'T?.'_

Yume made a mental-note to get a new clock (with less of an annoying wake-up call) then she hopped out of bed - her tiredness having left her over night - and sprang across the room to her wardrobe, flinging the doors wide; searching for something to wear. She wasn't really fussed what because she wouldn't be leaving the house today.

She pulled out a pair of baggy jeans and an old 'I heart Akatsuki' T-shirt, put them on, put her hair up in a messy pony-tail, threw on the necklace Hidan had bought for her, put on her fluffy purple slippers, quickly made her bed then dashed from the room, intending on having brunch – she couldn't exactly call it breakfast at '11:42', could she?

Already set into the stride of things, Yume managed to slow down just enough for Amaya to see her fly through the living-room and into the kitchen. The raven-head's eyes narrowed, seeing Yume in the one place she'd been banned from. Amaya sprang up from the sofa, going to make sure that her whisk was safe – since it had barely survived the last fire.

"What are you doing in there?" She asked warily, leaning over the counter. Yume disappeared into the pantry, reappearing moments later with a box of cereal. Amaya, seeing this, let out a sigh of relief,

_'Thank God. She's not cooking.'_

Yume pulled a bowl out from one of the cupboards then said as she placed it down on the counter and poured out the cereal,

"I'm going to do some revision today," She looked at Amaya meaningfully, "Okay?"

Amaya nodded her head vigorously. She could tell Yume meant business by the look in her eyes.

"Alright, I won't disturb," she watched Yume smile thankfully, "And hey, you never know, I might revise today too..." she looked over to the TV, seeing the group of vampires there playing baseball, "...just as soon as Twilight's over."

Yume let out a laugh before she walked away to get the milk. Amaya, seeing her kitchen not in mortal danger, decided to leave Yume to it; knowing she worked better on her own any way. She made her way back to the sofa and made herself comfortable, hollering loudly at the screen when her precious Jasper hit a home-run.

Yume ate her bowl of cereal at the kitchen table, flicking briefly through the newspaper. She read over the music articles, noticing a small spread about '_Psychic Sakon predicts the year's top hits, Ukon says otherwise!'_, seeing her band on the list. She smiled, taking another spoonful of cereal.

When she was done she washed up the dishes then said bye to Amaya and headed back up to her room. Once inside her room she opened the curtains, illuminating her room with light, then lay down on her bed and pulled out the books from beneath it.

She flicked through them, trying to find her music book for Monday's exam. She found it eventually, after realising she hadn't picked it up with the rest of the book and it had still been sitting under her bed, then put it on her blankets and flicked to the first page; _'Music Structures of the Classical Period'_ She read on, occasionally jotting down key-point as she went along, _'Binary Form, Structure A-B. Ternary Form, Structure A-B-A. Rondo Form...'_

oOo

Three quarters of an hour later, Yume decided to stop for a five-minute break. She put her pen down stiffly; her fingers having gone numb, and pulled herself up to go to the bathroom. As she walked along the corridor she sighed, running a hand through the top of her pony-tail. She was glad she finally had time to revise; half the stuff she'd just read over, she couldn't even remembering doing in lessons. Who was Erik Satie anyway? Was he really so important that he had to take up a three-page-spread in her exercise book?

Yume went into the bathroom and closed the door, hearing the faintest of sounds of Bella screaming from the TV downstairs. Yume rolled her eyes. Amaya watched that film far too often, even _she_ could quote it now.

Yume stopped before she left the bathroom a few minutes later. She looked in the mirror over the sink, grimacing at her reflection. Her eyes had heavy dark circles under them; showing how tired she really was. Of course these days, usually they were covered up by Minato's team of professional make-up artists, just as she'd head out onto stage. She blew up at her fringe, realising she'd have to get it cut soon. It had grown longer; much longer in parts, distorting the gentle arch that should be present. She hadn't had time to cut it herself.

_'I wonder if Lee will cut it for me again?'_

She made a mental-note to ask him the next time she saw him, as she turned on her heel and exited the bathroom. She walked back along the corridor, pausing just outside the empty, dust-covered bedroom opposite her. She still hadn't plucked up the courage to go inside yet. Every time she'd attempted to previously, her stomach had seemed to have twisted into knots and she'd run away, feeling almost sick. One day though. She'd go inside the room one day.

She made it back into her bedroom, looking at the vast pile of books and past-papers spread out over her bed. She sighed agitatedly. She was barely half way through her music book, let alone any other subject, let _alone_ any of the past-papers. Today she planned on getting as much done as possible – this being one of the rare moments that she had free-time, and also the last chance she'd get to revise before her music-exam. Her stomach seemed to twist painfully at the thought. She hardly knew anything – or at least that's what it felt like. Baroque? Classical? Romantic? It was all a mess to her. She'd tried to revise sooner, but of course the band had always prevented her from doing so.

She lay back down and pulled her music book back towards her; only then she heard a knocking at the front door. Her eyes widened. She looked across to her clock, sagging when she remembered it was broken.

_'Damn it!'_

She reached over to the bed-side table and grabbed her phone, flipping the lid to read the clock._  
_

'_Oh,_' she let out a sigh of relief, _'Just the postman'_ – he always came at 1 o'clock, like clockwork.

_**'Ha! You nearly cried then!'**_

Yume frowned, trying to ignore the voice in her head; trying to study. She started reading again, then she heard running on the stairs – Amaya probably going to the bathroom. Just then her bedroom door was suddenly flung open, making her jump up in alarm, realising it wasn't Amaya,

"Yummmmmmmmeeeeeeee~!" a familiar voice yelled, ear-splittingly loud. Her jaw dropped open.

_**'Oh hell no. Not today, PLEASE!'**_

Yume was staring wide-eyed, her position defensive as she'd thought she was about to be mugged – although at the moment this seemed much worse. The boy in the doorway with his brown spiky hair was grinning brightly at her, waving frantically. Well... if there was one thing Yume could be happy about, about the situation, it was the fact that Tobi hadn't run up and tackled her off the bed yet – though this was probably only because Hidan was stood behind him, his hand clamped firmly on the brunette's shoulder. Behind him, the rest of Akatsuki were stood out in the hallway, and at the back, over the top of everyone else's heads, she could see Kisame bringing up the rear. What a... pleasant surprise. WHY HAD AMAYA LET THEM IN? SHE KNEW SHE WAS TRYING TO REVISE! SHE'D TOLD AMAYA NOT TO DISTURB HER, SO HOW COME THIS RULE DIDN'T SEEM TO APPLY TO OTHER PEOPLE?

"H-hi guys..." Yume said awkwardly, watching the six boys load into her room, "...what are you doing here?"

Deidara; walking in second-to-last and taking up residence by the wardrobe, grinned when he saw the pile of books, notes and post-its.

"Here to rescue you, apparently, yeah."

Yume didn't think so.

"Oh, thank you." She smiled half-heartedly. Sasori, standing by her dressing table with a scarf around his neck, said,

"We were wondering if you would like to-"

"-YUME'S COMING SHOPPING WITH US! YUME'S COMING SHOPPING WITH-"

"-Shut the fuck up, Tobi!" Hidan said angrily, punching Tobi on the top of the head. The boy cried out and clutched at his skull,

"Oooooouuucchh!"

Yume watched them for a moment, inwardly trying to figure out a plan to stop herself from having to go on said shopping-trip. She knew they wouldn't give up without a fight. None of her friends ever did. They were all persistent to say the least.

She looked down at her revision books, then looked up at the set of hopeful faces. She sighed heavily, deciding to turn to the one person who would at least take her exams into consideration – Sasori.

"Look, I'm really sorry but I don't think I can come with-"

"Don't say that! Of course you can!" Interrupted Hidan, grinning brightly with his foot now on top of Tobi's head. Yume shook her head, pointing down at the books by her feet,

"No, I've got to revise."

Hidan laughed,

"Ha! You can do it some other time! Come on, it'll be fun!"

The others nodded in agreement with him. Itachi pointed out, trying to persuade Yume further,

"We haven't seen you in a fortnight."

Yume shook her head,

"I'm really sorry, but that just the thing, I can't revise some other time because my exam's on-"

"YUME HAS TO COME! TOBI WANTS YUME TO GO TO TOYS-'R'-US WITH HIM!" Tobi screamed pleadingly from below Hidan's foot. Hidan glared down at him, pressing down harder,

"Shut the fuck up, you're giving me a headache!"

Deidara rolled his eyes, hearing Tobi start to yell again. Sure Tobi was an idiot, but he did have a point.

"Yeah, Yume, it's more fun with you there."

Yume sighed, feeling more and more guilty with every point they made. She closed her eyes, running a hand through her hair,

"Look guys, I'm really sorry but -_HEY_!" Yume's eyes snapped open, feeling someone catch her around the knees, sending her toppling over their shoulder. Yume quickly darted her eyes around the room, figuring out who it was.

'_Deidara, Kisame, Itachi, Sasori, Tobi-'_

"Hidan put me down!" She yelled, smacking him on the back. He laughed, turning sharply to face the door.

"Hell no, you're coming with us whether you want to or not!"

The others all smiled and started to make their way to the door, planning on heading off with Yume still over Hidan's shoulder. Usually she didn't really mind this situation, but for once she really didn't want it to happen. She _had_ to study. She couldn't fail her exams. Her parents – sorry, _ex-_parents, had once said that she was hopeless and would never get anywhere. She'd never make anything of herself. She had to prove them wrong. She just had to. She frowned, her jaw tightening slightly,

"Hidan, put me down."

He laughed at her, not taking her seriously,

"Not a chance, Blondie!"

Yume's eyes turned hard. She sighed heavily,

"Hidan, _please_. I'm not coming with you."

"Of course you are, you don't need to stud-"

"-Sorry but..."

Hidan suddenly lurched forward, nearly letting go of Yume's legs in surprise. She unclenched her fist and shouted at him, making herself very clear,

"Hidan, put me down! Right now! I am _not_ coming with you so get the hell off me!"

The others in front of the pair looked around, staring wide-eyed at Yume's outburst. Even Itachi looked surprised. Deidara noticed Yume's murderous glare – something he'd never seen before,

"Yume, what's the matter, yeah?"

She wriggled free of Hidan's arm; as he'd loosened his grip to clutch at his back where Yume had punched him. She dropped to the floor and turned on her heel, her eyes hard,

"Don't you guys ever stop? Why can't you give me five minutes of peace?" They looked at her, growing ever-more shocked, "Between you lot, Konoha Chibi Parade, and Amaya, I never get time to myself any more! I have to study whether you like it or not!" She clenched her fist, "And no I can't study another time, before you say anything! My exam is on _MONDAY_! I couldn't study yesterday because I was at band-practice, I can't study tomorrow because I've got band-practice again, today's the only day I've got left guys, so leave me alone!"

What followed was an eerie silence where everyone looked at Yume and no body dared speak. She breathed heavily, not having had to shout like that for a long time. The silence was only broken by the gentle sound of crying. Yume's eyes darted about, realising who it was. Tobi. He was stood, hiding behind Deidara with tears in his eyes. He said quietly, since everyone was turning to look at him,

"We're sorry, Yume... we just wanted you to come and play with us."

Yume's eyes softened, seeing Tobi genuinely upset. Damn. She hadn't meant to do that. She'd just snapped. Yume was never too good when the pressure got on top of her. She sighed, walking forward,

"I'm sorry guys, it's just..." she took hold of Tobi and gave him a hug, holding his head against her shoulder, "You don't know how important these exams are to me." She looked over to the others, her eyes having gone back to normal – more upset-looking than anything else, "I don't get time to do much these days, and I haven't had chance to study – even in school sometimes because Minato pulls me out to practice-" She didn't notice a few of the boys frowning after hearing this, "so I just want to get done what I can today." She pulled away from Tobi, smiling apologetically, "I'm sorry for shouting."

Sasori; stood behind her, said,

"Don't worry, Yume. We didn't realise you were under so much stress. We should have asked first."

She smiled nervously, wondering if they were all angry at her for yelling,

"It's okay, don't worry. You wouldn't have known."

_**'Yeah, the books and notes on my bed were just a figment of your imagination, obviously.'**_

_'… shut up.'_

Tobi suddenly dived on her from behind, wrapping his arms around her neck,

"Tobi's sorry! Tobi didn't mean to bother Yume! PLEASE FORGIVE TOBI!"

Yume laughed, glad to see Tobi back to his usual self – the perfect tension breaker.

A short while later, Yume said goodbye to the boys at the door, making sure they exited this way and not out of her upstairs window as they usually did, then stopped Hidan as he was leaving. She bowed her head nervously,

"Hidan, I'm sorry I hit you so hard. I was just angry."

He laughed, seeing her worried expression and ruffled her hair,

"Hey, don't worry about it. You're stressed, I get it. Though I have to say, you hit pretty fucking hard when you're pissed off." Yume laughed in spite of herself. Hidan moved his hand from her hair to around her neck, picking up the necklace that hung there, "I'm just glad to see you wearing this,"

Yume smiled,

"Yeah, I always wear it."

He let go of the necklace, letting it drop back against her skin. He winked,

"I'm glad to hear it." He turned around, walking out of the door to where the others were waiting for him, "See you 'round, Yume!"

"See you!" She said, waving as the others walked down her garden path, along the road and out of sight. Once they'd gone Yume's face sagged. She closed the door and slumped, steadily dropping to the floor until she was sat there with her head banging against the wood-work. Just then Amaya appeared from the living-room with a tub of ice-cream in her hands, looking somewhat guilty. She laughed nervously, handing the tub and a spoon to Yume as a peace-offering,

"So I guess letting them in was a bad idea?"

Yume reached up and took the ice-cream from her friend, laughing half-heartedly,

"Oh, you think?"

Amaya shrugged,

"Well how was I supposed to know you didn't want them in your room?" She gave a sly grin, "I'd give your left arm to have them in _my_ room."

Yume laughed, putting some of the ice-cream onto her spoon.

Elsewhere in the house – Yume's room to be exact – the window slid open. Perched on the tree-branch outside her bedroom, Deidara squatted, carefully balancing as he leaned forward into the room to secure the latch on the window; making sure it didn't fall shut on him. Down below, Sasori was looking about, making sure no-one was around to see the seemingly-absurd scene going on over his head. Also, next to Yume's front gate there was a rose-bush. For once in its life, the rose-bush did not hide a journalist, ready to snap a shot at any moment. No, now it contained Kisame – who was out to kill – sorry, just harm; Itachi had put him on strict orders – anyone with a camera. Unfortunately for the group of tourists that just so happened to be passing down the street at the time, this also included them apparently.

Deidara, happy that the latch was in place, shuffled forward until he was right by the window, then reached forward and took hold of the window-sill, pulling himself into Yume's room. Once inside he dropped down onto the floor and looked about. Yume wasn't around, that was good. It would make his job easier.

He walked forward, heading for the bookshelf to the right of her bed. As it had been last time, there was a pile of dust-covered books that obviously hadn't been touched in a long while, so Deidara reached his hand into his pocket, seeing this as a good a place as any. He pulled out the small clay-figure and set it down between the books, then hurriedly pulled a screen from his pocket. He flicked the screen into life, then saw the image of himself looking down at the screen. Oh good, it was working.

Now the whole reason this was going on was not because Deidara was being some random stalker, but because he was generally concerned for Yume. That look she'd given them all out in the hall, it wasn't Yume. She was obviously under so much pressure at the moment; he needed to make sure she was okay. And then there was also the fact of what she'd said. Her manager had started pulling her from lessons at her school to get her to practice. He knew that wasn't fair. At the academy most of the GCSE students had finished their exams by now and had a lot of free time, and that left Yume's band members alright, but of course he'd forgotten that Yume's school was part of the regular exam-board, and their exams were in the summer, not the winter. Minato wasn't looking out for Yume's well-being. She had to study which - Deidara hung hid head shamefully – he and the other members of Akatsuki had forgotten too.

Deidara looked up suddenly; hearing footsteps on the staircase.

_'Crap, yeah!'_

He quickly shoved the screen back into his pocket and ran to the window, not having time to do much else. Just as the door was being opened from the other side, Deidara launched himself from the window, catching the latch with his foot as he passed by, shutting it behind him.

Sasori was still waiting on the ground, looking around uninterestedly for someone to walk past. He looked up, hearing a slight whistling noise as if something was falling from the sky. His eyes widened and his jaw fell, seeing Deidara hurtling towards him with an apologetic look on his face.

Yume opened her door wide, looking around her room with an eyebrow raised. She could have sworn she'd heard something...- She looked across to the window, seeing it shut. Oh... perhaps she was just hearing things then. She shrugged. Ah well, no time to ponder; she had to get to work. She ran forward, slamming her door behind her and dived onto her bed, head first.

oOo

Yume was persistent. For five hours straight she stayed in her room, flicking through books, pinning notes up on her wall over posters of bands, and recited phrases and key-points to herself. By the time it came to seven o'clock, she was beginning to ware out. Even so, when Amaya appeared at her bedroom door wearing a short dress and asked if Yume wanted to go to a party for a break, she refused and powered on.

It was late on when Yume finally gave it a rest, knowing she could do no more. She could safely say she'd nailed the music part of her revision, and was quite a way into her next exam; biology. Still, she'd have to have another revision session or two before the exam, but that was okay; she had nothing going on after school during the next week apart from one band-rehearsal on Tuesday. She'd be okay.

Yume, her eyes tired and heavy, decided to pack up her things and go to bed; having tired herself out throughout the course of the day. Amaya wasn't back yet, but it wasn't before midnight yet so Yume expected no less. She took hold of her books and flung them under her bed, not caring too much where they landed. She pulled herself off the bed, walking over to where her pyjamas were strewn on the floor and picked them up. She changed into them, yawning widely, then let her other clothes drop to the floor in a heap. She looked around her room, scratching her head, then pulled her hair down; letting it flop about her face.

She left her room and went down the hall to the bathroom to take off her make-up and brush her teeth, then when she was done she went back to her bedroom and went to bed; sleep soon taking over.

The next day she woke up earlier than she'd done the previous day; smiling slightly from the dream she'd been having. Dancing blue kittens always made her happy. She pushed herself up on the bed, rubbing her eyes to remove the sleep. She let out a loud yawn as she stretched; her back clicking.

"Ouch," she mumbled, wincing slightly. She twisted herself round and slipped out of bed, landing on her backside, then got up and made her way over to the far side of the room to open the curtains. She drew them wide, letting the sun hit her - blinding her slightly. She turned from the window, spotting the ominous green post-it note that had been highlighted by the sunlight on her wall. She walked back across to her bed and leaned over it, putting her hands on the wall to steady herself. She read the small note on her calender; _'Music exam tomorrow DX'_

She sighed, running a hand through her bed-head. She'd be fine, she knew that now but that didn't stop the feeling of anxiety building inside. There were still other exams she had to revise for.

Yume looked across to her bedside-table at her clock (which she'd made Amaya go out and buy yesterday). Well... she still had a couple hours before band-practice; she could get some work done.

So Yume got changed, quickly ran into the bathroom to get washed, had breakfast, left a box of aspirin next to Amaya asleep on the living-room sofa, then went back upstairs and settled down to do some – less intense than yesterday – revision.

It was as she was pulling out her science books that her phone went off. She looked over to it vibrating on her dressing-table. She got up, praying that whatever message was now on her phone, had nothing to do with being dragged from the house early.

She walked over and picked up her phone, then turned the screen on to see the word 'Haku'. She smiled, letting out a sigh of relief. Haku never talked to her about band; they always gossiped instead. Yume opened the text, wondering what new clothing-range he'd discovered. She was quite shocked when she read what she did;

_'Sorry for talking about band. I know you like to get away from it but Kimimaro and Suigetsu got their phones taken off them in lessons yesterday. Minato says he's got us another small concert this weekend so we have to practice a few more times this week. Can't wait – it'll be great! See you later :)'_

Yume stared at the screen for a moment then let the phone drop from her grip – luckily it fell onto a pile of clothing by her feet. More rehearsals _**AND**_ another concert. That's all she needed. Less time to study and more stuff to worry about.

Yume let out a sudden stress-filled scream, turning round with her hands bawled into fists and slammed them down into her bed. She scrunched up her eyes, beginning to feel them stinging. She didn't want this; not now. She couldn't deal with so much going on. To start she had to take her final exams – a big headache for anyone, but then she also had to house Amaya and pay for her, as well as herself, and look after her when she came home drunk, _then_ there was Akatsuki; they always wanted to see her but of course now it was getting harder and harder for her to see them regularly because of another major problem – Minato kept arranging surprise concerts, making more band-rehearsals which seemed to take priority over everything else, and then don't even get her started on the paparazzi.

Yume collapsed on her bed, sobbing.

Elsewhere two pairs of eyes were staring at the screen that showed Yume in tears. Deidara's jaw was clenched.

"Those bastards, making Yume work to the bone, yeah!"

Sasori rolled his eyes, seeing his room-mate's own eyes ablaze,

"You know we're partially to blame also, Deidara."

Deidara's flames went out for a moment,

"Well yeah, but we said we're not going to bother her too much any more, yeah," his eyes relit themselves. He raised his fist, pretending Kimimaro's head was in front of him, then punched at the air, "But _they_ won't back off, yeah! What's worse, that stupid Minato - thinking he's all big and superior because he's head of Kyuubi corp. - is sticking her under pressure she doesn't need and he doesn't care, yeah-"

"-You don't know that."

"Oh don't I?" He pointed a finger at the crying blonde, "What's the cause of _that_ then, yeah?"

Sasori noticed Deidara's temper rising again. He placed his hand on his friend's shoulder and said,

"Okay, okay, I admit they could give her some slack but-"

"Too right they could," Deidara rose up, knocking Sasori hand off, "And I'm going to make sure they do, yeah."

Sasori watched Deidara start to hurry around the room, grabbing items here and there – including his collection of clay birds – then head for the door. Sasori sighed, rubbing his temples. There was no point in even trying to stop him now. At the best of times he was stubborn, but this involved Yume so he'd never listen. Sasori winced slightly when Deidara slammed the door behind him. He could hear him marching off down the hallways quickly. Sasori rolled over on Deidara's bed, picking up the little screen again. He rolled his eyes at his friend's incompetence – Deidara had forgotten that all the clay-birds in his coat pockets had cameras inside them. Sasori turned the dial on the small screen in front of him until it showed complete black – but in the background there was the sound of running and the bustle of conversation around the runner. He smirked at his own brilliant plan. All he had to do now was wait and see what happened.

oOo

About half an hour later and Yume was in the limo on the way to band-practice with a slightly faked smile on her face to fool the driver – he'd asked how she was doing when he'd picked her up earlier, and she knew he had concerns for her so she'd lied to him to make him feel better.

He looked in the rear-view mirror as he pulled up at the front of the academy, saying with a smile,

"We're here, Miss."

Yume nodded her head,

"Thanks, Kotetsu."

He tipped his cap again,

"Any time."

Yume opened the back door to the limo and slipped out onto the pavement. She closed the door and watched the limo drive off, then turned to look at the vast buildings. She sighed heavily. Time to find the band then.

It didn't take long. She followed the shouting. It wasn't one of her band-members shouting, but she knew it had something to do with them – specifically Minato – because she kept hearing the phrase "you sunshine-headed, music-making, life-stealer". Minato in one. She ended up being stood just away from the music-hall, outside in the sunlight, stopped in her tracks by the pure sight of what was happening in front of her eyes. Minato was stood with his back against the wall, looking quite surprised, with none other than _Deidara_ in his face. The other three band members were all stood around, not bothering to help and looking quite... well she couldn't place the expression.

"Deidara!" She yelled, catching everyone's attention but the one intended. Her three friends all noticed it was her and smiled, as if guilty about something. She ignored them, deciding to question them later because the more important thing right now was getting Deidara away from Minato. He had his fist clenched, looking murderous. If he hadn't already, he was going to snap soon. Yume strode over, intending on pulling the two apart, but stopped in her tracks when she heard what Deidara was yelling about,

"Give her a break, you idiot, yeah! Just because these guys don't have exams doesn't mean she doesn't either!"

Minato shook his head, staying as calm as possible,

"Yume is doing fine. She hasn't complained."

Deidara raised his fist and connected it with the wall besides Minato's head, making Yume jump.

"She won't though! Yume doesn't try to burden people with her problems!"

The three boys looked towards Yume, but she purposefully ignored them. Minato's face had faltered slightly. He tried to recover himself,

"I'm sure she's alright really. We were with her only the other day and she seemed happy enough."

Deidara rolled his eyes exasperatedly.

"Are you dense, yeah? Don't you know Yume at all? She won't tell you how she's really feeling if it's going to upset you! She doesn't want to tell you that she needs less time here!" Then he barked suddenly, remembering what he'd witnessed on the screen before, "and what the hell is with this concert at the weekend!"

Both Yume and Minato were thinking it; how did Deidara know about that?

Minato raised his hands in defence,

"I'm sure Yume can handle it, she's a bright girl, you know. You're not giving her enough credit-"

"-She was in tears before, yeah!"

Minato stopped dead. The three boys beside Yume were looking at her again. It was at this point, where everyone had turned quiet, that Yume decided to announce she was actually on the scene. She put her hand to her mouth and cleared her throat, catching the pair arguings' attention. Deidara's angry expression faltered when he turned his head and noticed it was Yume. He quickly backed away from Minato, looking sheepish,

"H-hey, Yume."

She turned her attention fully on him for a moment, giving him a mix between a smile for trying to look out for her, and a glare for attacking her manager and – she assumed – stalking her again with those damn birds, then she turned her attention to Minato, who she could tell was looking at her with concerned eyes. Once he'd caught her attention Minato looked between she and Deidara for a moment, then said to her,

"I assume you heard all that?" She nodded her head. Minato spoke again with slightly dampened eyes, "Is that right, Yume? Are you... under pressure at the moment?"

Yume paused a moment, debating whether or not to tell the truth; knowing if she didn't Deidara would only yell at her later, so she said eventually,

"Yes..." She shook her head, closing her eyes so as not to see Minato's disappointed expression, "I'm sorry, I don't want to upset you. I just- it's just- you've made us have a lot of-"

Minato raised his hands, trying to quieten her.

"Yume, it's okay." When she opened her eyes she saw Minato looking at her with a small smile on his face. Huh? "Don't be sorry. It's my fault, not yours." He ran a hand through his hair, looking over to see Deidara's moderately stern expression, "I didn't take you into account. Your exams and your social life. I'm sorry."

Yume's eyes widened in shock when Minato took a step towards her, then bowed in apology. She quickly shot her hands up, waving them about frantically,

"No, no, please don't be sorry! You didn't know I had exams, it's not your fault!"

He laughed, pulling himself up to full height a moment later,

"I should have checked, at least."

_'__**Eh, can't argue with him there. He forgot about us.'**_

Yume smiled,

"It's alrigh-"

"Yeah, we're sorry too." Yume whipped her head round, looking at her three friends. They were looking even more guilty than they had been before. Haku stepped forward, looking down at his feet rather than at Yume,

"We thought you were joking about being stressed out about your exams. We... well we were the ones who suggested the concert this weekend."

Yume tried to be angry with Haku, she really did, but he was looking as if he were about to burst into tears any second and she couldn't be angry with a face like that. Deidara could though. He marched forward, intending on decking the small boy, but Yume shot her arm out; seeing him coming up fast behind her. She caught him straight in the stomach. He looked down at her,

"What?" He asked, seeing her exasperated face. She rolled her eyes,

"I'm not mad, you don't be mad either. It's not like it's your problem."

He looked at her, then over at the three boys, then back at Yume's expression, then relaxed his stance.

"Fine, yeah."

She gave him a quick smile. Just then Minato appeared on the other side of her. He put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle smile,

"Yume, would you prefer it if I cancelled some of the rehearsals for you?"

Her eyes widened again.

"Oh, no, you can't! If we've got a concert this weekend then-"

He stopped her, raising his hand again.

"Consider in postponed." He smiled, "Your well-being is far more important to me than some concert. I'll stop some of the band-practices too – just for now," he added after the three boys stared at him wide-eyed as if he'd just taken away their cake. He turned his head back to Yume and rubbed her shoulder, seeing her puzzled expression, "You're like a daughter to me and I want you to be alright."

Yume looked at him, unsure of what to say now. She gulped, turning her head away.

"T-thanks..."

Minato smiled, then looked up at Deidara, seeing that he'd calmed down. Deidara nodded his head. He was happy now. Sasori, sat back up in his room, staring out of the window at the scene because it had been conveniently placed on the ground just below his room, smiled to himself. Deidara hadn't resorted to violence to get the job done. Obviously somebody was having a good influence on him. He didn't have to ask who. He could see, as the conversation continued (the one he could hear via the screen on Deidara's bed) Deidara kept glancing to and from Yume, his expression relaxing more and more each time he did.

Suigetsu – trying to redeem himself because he was the one who had come up with the weekend concert idea – said,

"Well I took the music-exam before Christmas, so do you want my notes? I got an A."

Yume shook her head, smiling at his helpfulness,

"No, it's alright, I think I'll be okay with my music exams," She laughed slightly, rubbing the back of her head, "I suppose it's just the rest of the exams I have to look at now."

Kimimaro raised his hand,

"I can help you with your sciences."

"And I can help with your Maths and English," added Haku, wanting to help his friend out as much as possible. Yume smiled warmly, trying hard to thank them enough.

"Thank you guys, you're the best."

Haku and Kimimaro smiled humbly, whereas Suigetsu grinned,

"Of course we are!"

The band-members laughed.

Seeing everyone at pleasant ease, Minato said, directing his attention at Yume,

"I expect you'll be wanting a lift home then, Yume?"

She furrowed an eyebrow,

"Uhh... band-practice?"

He shook his head,

"Don't worry about it. Your exams are tomorrow, you can skip today's practice." He watched Yume smile, then turned on his heel, looking back at her, "A lift home then?"

She nodded her head, only Deidara said from next to her,

"That's okay, Mister Uzumaki, I'll take her, yeah."

All five heads turned to look at him, a couple with narrowed eyes. He was trying to take her home by himself, 'ey? Have some _alone_ time? No chance.

He raised his hands, trying to defend himself from the glares,

"It's the least I can do, yeah. I caused all the trouble, and you can probably still practice without Yume. Just don't have vocals, yeah. Anyway, I don't want you wasting petrol. I'll take her home, don't worry."

Minato smiled, liking Deidara's charge of responsibility.

"Very well then, as long as it's alright with you, Yume," He said, turning to look at the blonde. She looked across to Deidara, then nodded her head, laughing,

"Yeah, that's fine."

Deidara grinned as she turned to look back at the others. SHE CHOSE HIM OVER HER MANAJOR! SUCK ON THAT, HIDAN! Yume waved to her friends,

"Well I guess I'll see you later then. Have fun at rehearsal!"

They waved back, grinning,

"See you, Yume."

"Don't worry, we will!"

Yume turned to Deidara, then seeing him off in his own little world of victory, shook her head disbelievingly and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him along to where she knew Akatsuki kept their limousine. She wanted to get home as fast as possible.

Once at the car-shed, Deidara called for their limo-driver – not Kisame, thankfully – and he showed up minutes later, unlocking the vehicle and stepping aside to let the pair in. They walked past him and Yume took the first proper glance at him, noticing something strange. Once inside and settled, Yume whispered to Deidara so the driver couldn't hear,

"Why is your driver... black and white?"

Deidara turned to her and smirked,

"Same reason Kisame's blue, yeah." She raised an inquisitive eyebrow, "they dared each other to dye their skin one time. It still hasn't washed out." He laughed loudly, "you should have seen them when they first got it done, yeah! Kisame looked like an over-sized smurf!"

Yume laughed, the image of Kisame wearing a smurf costume stuck in her head. The driver set off then, closing the window up between he and the pair. He didn't like it when the others talked about the whole 'skin' incident. He'd been very drunk. Drinking makes you do very stupid things.

As the limousine made its way to Yume's house, Yume looked over to Deidara, seeing him gazing out of the window.

"What's up?"

He looked back at her, a grin on his face,

"Ah, nothing, yeah." He sat back with his hands behind his head, "I guess I'm just glad to be getting out of History."

Yume rolled her eyes, throwing a purple-coloured seat-cushion at him,

"Deidara! I thought you were being responsible for taking me home, like you said!"

He laughed, catching the cushion and throwing it back, hitting Yume straight in the face,

"Ha! Don't be ridiculous! I don't care about Minato's petrol-costs, yeah! He deserves to spend a bit more after making you cry!" There was a pause for a second, then Deidara's eyes widened when he realised what he'd said. He looked at Yume, seeing her with her eyebrows raised. "Uhh..."

Yume picked up the pillow next to her,

"Oh yeah, I forgot to ask about that." Deidara's eyes widened as she picked herself up off the seat and made her way across the limo, "How _did_ you know about me crying? _And_ the concert this weekend?"

He raised his hands, speaking with his voice an octave higher,

"Lucky guess?"

She rolled her eyes, mumbling under her breath as she closed in the last few inches. She raised the pillow over her head,

"What have I told you about those stupid spying birds?"

Deidara shut his eyes, waiting for impact... though it never came. Instead he felt something land on the seat beside him and something else hit his waist. He opened his eyes and looked down, then shot his head back up to look at the ceiling, hiding the stain of pink on his face when he saw Yume hugging him around the middle.

"Uhh... Yume, yeah?"

"Thank you for looking out for me, Deidara." She said, muffled by the fabric of his black coat. He smiled and patted her on the head,

"Hey, that's alright. It's what friends do."

She looked up,

"But don't think I'll be this nice the next time I find one of your clay birds in my room!"

He grinned cheekily,

"How about a spider then, yeah?"

She let go of him and smacked him on the shoulder.

"No clay anything!"

His eyes lit up,

"Great! How about this new thing I'm trying-"

She dived on him, throwing her fists all over,

"STOP STALKING ME!"

He laughed, holding her back with a hand on her head.

It was a short while later when the limousine finally rolled up outside Yume's house. Yume was lying spread out on one of the long seats, exhausted from trying to beat Deidara to a small pulp. He, on the other hand, was still laughing at her pitiful attempt. The limousine rolled to a halt, then the screen to the driver opened and he said,

"We're here."

Deidara looked over and grinned,

"Thanks, Zetsu."

He nodded and wound the screen back up. Deidara looked across to Yume and smiled,

"Well then, I guess this is goodbye for now, yeah!"

Yume nodded, pulling herself up from the seat,

"Alright, well I'll see you some other time then!"

Deidara nodded and gave her a wave, but then as she was making her way to the door he had a quick idea; something that would make the next few weeks for her a lot easier,

"Hey Yume," she looked back at him curiously, her hand on the door-handle, "take this, and if you need help with any subject, one of us will be happy to help, yeah." He grinned, pulling a card from his pocket, "Across all of us, at least one of us has taken each of your subjects so you should be okay."

With a flick of his wrist he sent the card flying across the vehicle to Yume, who caught it and read over what was printed on it. Her eyes widened. Deidara grinned, seeing her reaction,

"Just... you know... don't give it to Amaya, yeah."

Yume nodded, looking down at the card with all of her friends' phone-numbers on it. In the wrong hands (Amaya's) it could lead to a world of never-ending harassment and love-letters. Yume grinned,

"Thanks, Deidara."

He nodded, spreading his arms out across the back of his seat leisurely,

"Any time, yeah." As Yume opened the door to the limo and stepped out, he called after her, "I took art, chemistry and PE if that helps, yeah!"

Yume laughed and called,

"I'll ring you if I need you!" then she shut the door. There was a pause where the driver kicked the ignition on again, then Yume waved to the limousine as it drove away. Once gone, she looked down at the card again. She smiled. She was feeling much better about the exams now. Now she had chance to revise, and see her friends at the same time.

She smiled and stuffed the card into her pocket, then turned and walked back up to her house. Time to get some revision done for tomorrow's exam.

* * *

_So this is a record! LESS THAN A WEEK SINCE THE LAST CHAPTER WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I'm so proud of myself! Though don't expect another chapter for... say 2-3 weeks because most of my exams are before half-term so I'll get them done, then I can get back to working on this during/after the holidays! BUT STILL! 4 DAYS PEOPLE! LOOK AT ME GO!  
_

_Deidara: Nothing like modesty, yeah..._

_Me: Well you'd be happy too if you used to get a chapter out once every 5 months! (ignores Deidara and turns to reader) so I hope you liked this chapter, and yes I know, I know, there wasn't much going on but sorry, I needed to build up stress and strain!_

_Deidara: and she feels guilty for not revising herself so she's making Yume do a load instead_

_Me: (glares) Ohh you've done it now, Deidara! (charges)_

_Deidara: O.\\\ (runs away)_

_Me: Ha! You can run but you can't hide! (Turns to reader with a smile) _ _see you next chapter, and I'm sure you'll like it_... _but that's all I'm telling you!_

_X-Deidara's Lover-X_


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anyone else from the show!

Claimer: I own Yume and Amaya! Hands off please!

Me: Aah, I told you I'd get something up during half-term! I hope you like reading this one because it was _REALLY_ fun to write!... and sorry it's really _really_ long, I got carried away (you'll see)!

Deidara: You're getting close to the end now, aren't you, yeah?

Me: SHUT UP, DEIDARA! STOP REMINDING ME! (threatens with frying-pan). (Turns to readers) Like I said, do enjoy! Some of you are going to be happy with this chapter and others... not so much, but that's all I'm saying for now!

* * *

Chapter 19

Yume's fingers burnt. They actually felt like they were about to drop off her hands. She'd been writing for the last hour and a half and it was _really_ beginning to show. But she wasn't going to stop. Oh no. This was her last exam and she was going to write right up until the end if she had to. The past month had been madness and insanity, full of revision sessions and a few band practices as the time had gone by and she'd had less exams to look forward to.

The current exam she was sitting was her German exam. Now why she'd taken German in the first place was beyond her. She didn't even think the trip to Germany had been worth it. She couldn't speak German. Here, however, she was confident. She'd had a little 'revision session' a few days ago with, she might add, the most unlikely of her friends to have taken German...

-(Flashback)-

"_Sasori, help! I don't know any German!" She shouted down the phone at full volume. There was a pause from the other end, then the voice replied,_

"_Well, I'm sorry but I can't help you." Yume sagged. "But I know someone who can. I'll send him over."_

"_Thanks!" She paused, "Who is it?"_

_She could almost __**hear**__ him smirking at the other end,_

"_I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."_

_And with this said, Sasori hung up. Yume looked at her phone for a while, pondering over who would be paying her a visit today. Itachi possibly? He seemed smart. She shrugged. Oh well, she'd find out soon enough._

_She made her way from her room, back downstairs to where her German books were sprawled out across the sofa and one below the window-sill which she'd thrown out of frustration. She walked over and picked it up then looked out of the window, seeing a limousine roll up outside her house. She raised her eyebrows in surprise,_

"_Wow, that was fast..." she saw the limo's front window wind down to show Kisame grinning and waving madly. "Oh."_

_She leant forward, pressing her cheek up against the window to try and see who was getting out of the back of the limousine – looking slightly possessed to any passers-by. Just as the door opened and Yume saw a foot emerge, a sudden cry made her look away. She darted her head round to look into the kitchen. When she realised what it was she rolled her eyes,_

"_Amaya, be quiet," her eyes softened and she laughed, "I'll let you out once I've got my revision done."_

_There was a muffled yell from inside the pantry; the door barred with a broom-handle,_

"_When I get my hands on you I'm going to ring your neck so hard you'll be wearing rings as necklaces!"_

"_Well that's not going to make me want to let you out!"_

"_AURGH!" Cried the figure from inside the pantry. A moment later Yume heard a loud thump against the door as Amaya tried to barge her way out again. It wasn't going to work. Even if she got out she wouldn't make it past the line of mousetraps Yume'd set out. She couldn't be too careful after all._

_Just then there was a very loud amount of knocking at the door, almost as if the person was trying to barge the door down. Yume turned and walked out of the living-room._

_'Not Itachi then.' _

_She walked forwards and kicked her school-shoes from in front of the door, then took hold of the handle. There was another knock._

"_Alright, alright! I'm opening the door! Hold your horses!"_

_Yume twisted the door-handle and pulled, eager to see who the German master was. When she saw who was stood in the doorway her jaw dropped. It was Tobi. Tobi, wearing the shortest lederhosen she'd ever seen, holding a string of sausages in his hands._

"_Y-you took German?"_

_Tobi nodded his head rapidly, a grin on his pale face,_

"_Ja! Tobi leibt Deutsch! Sie haben Kuchen und Rammstein!"_

_Yume sagged. She knew this was going to give her a headache. She stepped aside, sighing in a way that meant she'd already given up hope and surrendered, then let the skimpily-clad boy into her house, a happy grin on his face. Tobi jumped forward, springing past Yume into her hallway, yelling at the top of his lungs,_

"_Tobi liebt Yume! Tobi liebt die haus von Yume! Es ist seeeeeeeeeeeeeehr gross! Tobi kann nicht-"_

"_Tobi!" Yume yelled in a sharp tone. He stopped mid-bounce and looked back at Yume with an innocent look on his face,_

"_Yes?"_

_Yume's head sagged again, realising Tobi must have eaten sugar before he'd arrived. She looked up at him and said as she walked towards him,_

"_Save the German for when I've got my books, okay?"_

_He nodded his head enthusiastically then looked around as if searching for something._

"_What?" Yume asked curiously, seeing Tobi's head whipping about madly. He looked around again, craning backwards to look down the corridors on the right, then instead of answering he sped off into the living-room on the left. Yume raised a confused eyebrow. She closed the front door; momentarily contemplating running out of it to get away from the madness that was obviously about to happen, then turned and walked drudgingly into the living-room after Tobi._

_Once inside her own living-room again, Yume found Tobi upturning furniture cautiously and with a look of worry on his face. Yume wasn't surprised Tobi was doing something like this – it was Tobi after all – but it did make her wonder why he was doing it. She walked up behind him as he was removing the sofa-cushions, _

"_Uhh... Tobi, what's wrong?"_

_He stopped for a moment to look at Yume, flickering his eyes around the room again afterwards, then he said in a hushed tone,_

"_Tobi doesn't see Amaya," He threw his hands over his head quickly, "She could pounce on Tobi from the shadows at any second!"_

_Yume stared at Tobi's expression of horror then giggled, finding the whole situation quite funny. Tobi looked at her, dropping his hands slowly as he watched Yume's laughter grow. When his hands were back by his sides, and Yume had stopped herself laughing, she said,_

"_Don't worry. Amaya won't attack you," Tobi's eyes lit up. Yume said a little louder, redirecting her voice, "Will you Amaya?"_

_Tobi jumped into the air, hearing Amaya start to yell from in the kitchen._

"_Let me out of here you mother fuc-" Tobi clamped his hands over Yume's ears as Amaya continued to curse loudly. He yelled in a whiny, childish voice over the top of her,_

"_Don't listen, Yume! Your ears will bleed," he wailed, scrunching up his eyes, "Amaya shouldn't swe-eeeeear!"_

_When Tobi finally removed his hands, everything was quiet again, save for the small amount of angry mumbling coming from the pantry. Seeing this as a good a time as any, Yume turned to Tobi; who was trying to put the living-room back to the way he'd found it, and said hopefully,_

"_So," She looked over at her school books strewn on the floor, "can we do some German now?"_

_Tobi dropped the coffee-table he'd been about to upright and turned with his eyes sparkling,_

"_Ja~aaa!"_

_Yume smiled uneasily. She was either going to learn everything she needed to know about German today, or learn never to let Tobi in her house ever __**ever**__ again – possibly both._

-(Flashback End)-

Luckily after Tobi's hour-long sugar rush had worn off, he'd settled down enough to be able to explain stuff without diving backwards off the sofa each time Yume had asked a question, or thrown random objects at her if she'd gotten something wrong.

"Time's up!" Called the loud booming voice of the adjudicator from the front of the hall. Yume put the final full-stop on her work and looked up, dropping the pen to the desk.

_'Thank you, Tobi!'_

She'd managed to finish everything on the paper just in time – stuff she hadn't known last week. She knew she'd have to buy Tobi a tub of ice-cream to thank him sometime... and then pass him along to Sasori to look after afterwards. She loved Tobi, she really did, but she couldn't deal with more than three rounds of 'I'm a little tea-pot' at once.

The exam moderators walked along the few rows of language students, collecting in the paper as the weary pupils sat in silence. Yume's eyes flickered across to Naruto, who was scribbling desperately; trying to finish off his French exam. He managed to put his pen down just in time to stop himself being caught by the moderator, who appeared moments later to pick up his answer-sheet.

Yume's eyes turned back to her own place when her paper was pulled out from underneath her folded arms. She looked up at the man with the toothpick between his teeth, and gave him a short, nervous smile. He nodded his head, giving her a 'well done, you've made it, you survived exam-season' look, then moved along to the row of desks behind her, picking up the others' papers.

Once all of the exam-sheets had been collected in, the head adjudicator – Miss Mitarashi – started to let the students leave the exam hall for the final time.

Yume watched Temari's Spanish row get up and leave, having to weave between the empty desks to get to the door. Once they were all outside and finding their school-bags, Miss Mitarashi – in her unwantedly see-through fish-net top – stood in front of Yume's row and raised her hand, indicating that they could leave.

Yume got up, grabbing the blue sparkly pen that Itachi had bought for her especially to do her Graphic Products exam last week. It had been two hours of sketching and writing with a glitter-covered pen. Worth it just for the pen.

Yume weaved through the maze of desks, seeing the glorious light from outside shining in through the door. She broke out into a sort of run, wanting to get out into the sun as fast as possible.

She squinted, coming in contact with the light for the first time in an hour. It was painful, yes it burned her eyes, but it was wonderful! The sun meant her last exam was over. She didn't have to do any more revision. SHE COULD HAVE A SOCIAL LIFE AGAIN! - speaking of which...

"Oi! Yume! Over here!" Yume turned her head quickly, hearing the O-so-familiar sound of her friend. She was walking towards Yume with a grin on her face. "So you survived then!"

Yume nodded her head, grabbing her school-bag, then ran over to the advancing Amaya. The two met in the middle and hugged each other tightly. Amaya squeezed Yume, lifting her up off the ground slightly. When she put her friend back down, she said with an even bigger grin,

"Exams are _OVER_!" She jumped up and punched the air. Yume laughed at her enthusiasm, seeing Amaya nearly trip over when she hit the floor.

A short while later the pair decided to head home; the end-of-school bell ringing to let them leave. As they walked back through the main school-building, chatting and enjoying the idea of their new-found freedom, they waved to their other friends; especially Hinata who had just endured a three-hour-long dance exam and looked as if she was about to collapse, being held up as she walked by Neji.

The pair came to an abrupt halt when they spotted something hanging on the wall of the reception-area. Yume's eyes lit up, spotting the poster hanging by the desk. She turned to Amaya and shook her shoulder energetically. Amaya, in turn, slapped Yume off her and as she continued to do so, she said,

"Yes, yes, I know! Get a hold of yourself woman!"

The pair looked at the dark blue and shimmering poster, on which read the word 'PROM' and a picture of a pair dancing below it. That's right, the prom was next week. Yume's eyes were sparkling with the prospect of being able to wear her dream-dress in public. So far she'd only worn it the once, back in the shop when she'd bought it.

She looked over to Amaya. As she watched her friend's expression of inner-excitement she tilted her head to the side, pondering something. She hadn't actually seen Amaya's dress yet. It was anyone's guess what it looked like. Yume laughed to herself, remembering Amaya saying something about making 'modifications' to her dress. Well that could mean anything.

Amaya looked at Yume, sensing eyes on her. She raised an eyebrow,

"What?"

Yume, bringing herself from the image of Amaya wearing a bunny-suit to prom, smiled and shook her head.

"Nothing."

Amaya put her hands on her hips, a confused look on her face,

"Huh?"

Yume grinned, reaching forward to take Amaya's hand.

"It doesn't matter," She turned, grabbing hold of one of Amaya's wrists at the last second, then started to run in the direction that led to the front gate, "Come on."

Amaya, powerless against Yume's sudden burst of strength, yelled as she was pulled through the air,

"What's going oooooooonn?"

Yume laughed, a happy grin on her face. She was getting home as soon as possible. She wanted to try her dress on.

It took her a grand-total of eight minutes and twelve seconds to get to the house; having successfully made her own way through the crowd of fans today. It was amazing what she could do when she was determined. She only let up her lightning-pace when she reached the garden gate. Amaya, not having been able to touch the floor with her own feet for the past few minutes, when Yume let go of her wrist she fell to the floor in a puddle. Yume looked back curiously, hearing the collapse as she looked for her key. She saw her friend lying there, her face looking traumatised.

"Sorry," She said nervously, having found the front door key.

She helped Amaya up then let them both inside the house, then left Amaya to her own devices as she ran upstairs to her room, to her wardrobe; to where her dress was hanging O-so-proudly on its hanger.

She opened her bedroom door and walked inside, throwing her school-bag down unceremoniously; rather more occupied with closing her bedroom curtains than anything else. For the past few weeks, each time she'd opened her curtains in a morning there had always been someone, no matter who it was – it didn't have to be a journalist – standing outside, waving or shouting, or holding some sort of a banner for her. Yume had to admit, it was flattering... but when a group of teenagers stand outside your house and pull up their tops to spell out 'Konoha Chibi Parade' at seven in the morning, even she was a little creeped out.

She pulled down the blinds, not before waving to the pair of girls who waved up at her as they walked past, then turned in the dark and flicked on the small desk-lamp. She looked over at the old-oak wardrobe with her eyes like stars. She seemed to float towards it, powered by the image of the layers of blue and sparkles she was about to be wearing. She opened the doors wide and pulled the dress out, half stopping herself from hugging it.

_**'You're a weirdo.'**_

_'WHO CARES? LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL THIS DRESS IS!'_

_**'…'**_

Yume threw off her school-clothes, sending them flying over the other side of her bed, then she hauled the mass of material up over her head, pulling it down to fit around her middle. At the back of the corset there was a large ribbon to tighten the dress, but since she didn't have double-jointed arms that could reach such a place, she left it as was and walked over to her mirror, twirling around. She squeaked with happiness. Oh she could not wait for prom! It was just going to be so amazing, seeing everyone in formal outfits; the girls in ball-gowns and the boys in bow-ties – though she had to admit she was having a hard time imagining someone like Naruto or Kiba in a tie. She could imagine more Naruto arriving in a clown-outfit, red nose and all.

Just as she was spinning around for the third time, caught up in a fantasy of being asked to dance by a young David Cassidy, her phone went off from the other side of her bed. She looked over her shoulder, being dragged from her dreams, hearing it continue to ring. Huh, someone was actually ringing her. Must be important if they didn't just text.

Yume scurried round the bed, not daring to dive straight over the top of it with her dress on, and scooped up her phone. She only had time to read the word 'Sasori' as she flipped open the lid, before she pressed the receive button and held the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

From the other end, the red-head's voice replied,

"Hello Yume, Sasori here," Yume heard a moment of scuffling, "Just calling to see how your final exam went today."

Yume heard the scuffling again.

"Oh, it went great thanks – well I think it did, at least. Tell Tobi I said thank-"

"-YUME'S WELCOME! YUME'S VERY WELCOME! TOBI WAS GLAD TO HELP-"

From the other end of the phone, a very annoyed Sasori said to the boy who had just stolen his phone,

"Give me that back or I'll get Hidan in here."

There was a shrill whine, at which Yume had to hold the phone away from her ear. A moment later it was Sasori talking to her again,

"Sorry about that,"

"It's alright," She said, laughing slightly at the fact she could hear Tobi whimpering in the background still. Sasori said, deciding to get onto the main focus of why he'd called,

"Yume, we were wondering if you'd like to come out with us today. Just as a little celebration with your exams." He added quickly, "Of course you don't have to. If you're busy we understand."

Yume smiled, both happy with the fact Sasori was still being considerate, and the fact she had a chance to meet up with her friends again all together, instead of just the one person who'd help her out with revision,

"Sure! I'd love to come! What are we doing?"

"Well we wondered if you'd like to come swimming with us. We have a large pool here at the academy and you wouldn't have to pay anything."

"Sounds great-"

"-Just please tell me you have your own swimming costume?"

Yume raised an eyebrow,

"Yeah, I do. Why?"

She heard Sasori let out a sigh of relief,

"It's nothing. Just that Hidan and Kisame had picked out... outfits for you if you didn't have your own." Two guesses what they'd look like. Bits of string, maybe?

"Oh," She laughed, "Well tell them I've got my own, thanks."

"Will do. Now I'll send a limo round – don't worry, I'll get Zetsu to drive." He'd anticipated Yume's look of distraught at the image of Kisame driving. "It will be at your house in about quarter of an hour."

Yume looked at her clock.

"Alright!"

"See you soon."

"See you soon, Sasori!"

She hung up. She looked down at herself, sighing that she had to get out of her dress; but rather that than leaving the house wearing it – she'd be dived on by fan-boys for sure. To prolong having to get out of her dress, she walked around her room, grabbing hold of the essentials for swimming – pulling out two different swimming costumes and comparing them. Amaya had bought them both. As she'd given them to Yume she'd said something about 'bringing out her playful side'. Yume grimaced. There was hardly enough material to make a swim-suit put the two together – though probably more than what Kisame and Hidan had picked out.

She decided in the end to go with the purple bikini. At least it didn't look like it had been shrunken in the wash. She packed it into her small shoulder bag then grabbed a towel, then finally, with nothing else to do she took off her dress. She pulled it off and put it back on its hanger, then put it carefully back in the wardrobe, throwing other clothing out to make room for it. After this was done she looked to her clock, seeing she had about five minutes left. She decided to go downstairs to tell Amaya where she was off to.

As she made her way into the living-room Amaya called from the kitchen, knowing where Yume was headed,

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

Yume stopped mid-step, her eyebrows close to her hairline,

"Uhh... Amaya?"

Amaya waved her oven-glove-covered hands frantically, looking at the oven rather than her friend

"I'm almost done with this soufflé and I don't want your cooking-skills giving me bad luck!" Amaya, still not looking over at Yume, leant across to one of the cabinets and pulled out a whisk. She waved it threateningly, still looking at the oven. "Shoo!"

Oh how nice, Yume thought, what a lovely friend she was. Yume waved, holding the strap of her swimming-bag across her shoulder,

"Alright, well I'll see you later then."

Amaya waved the whisk about again, trying to get rid of Yume,

"Fine, fine! See you later!"

Yume rolled her eyes. She looked at Amaya's concentrating face and decided not to tell her where she was going; it would only distract her too much. That or she'd probably want to come too. Yume liked Itachi too much to make him have to endure Amaya's fangirl isues.

Yume turned and left the living-room, only to hear the knock at the front door the moment she stepped into the hallway.

_'Great, he's here!'_

'_**WE'RE GOING SWIMMING WITH AKATSUKI, HELL YES! FAMOUS GUYS WITH NO SHIRTS ON!'**_

_'...Shut up.'_

Yume leapt to her front door and opened it wide, seeing Akatsuki's limo-driver standing there. She smiled at him,

"Hello, Zetsu!"

He seemed slightly taken aback that she'd known his name, but shook his head and nodded,

"Hello, Miss Chiles. I'm here to pick you up." His eyes flickered to the shoulder-bag, "Are you ready to go?"

She nodded her head enthusiastically – ignoring the strange look she got off Zetsu,

"Absolutely!"

He nodded his head again then stepped aside, letting Yume out of her house. She walked past him and down the garden steps so he closed the door and followed, unlocking the limousine as he walked along.

oOo

It took a good fifteen minutes to arrive at the academy – much longer than Kisame's usual four – and when the limousine finally parked up Yume got a wonderful surprise; all five of the Akatsuki boys smiling, waiting to meet her. After the limo was parked, Sasori beat Zetsu to the door and opened it wide for Yume to step out onto the slightly raised platform of concrete that the other boys were stood on. She smiled, almost automatically being pulled into a hug by Tobi. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, nearly squeezing the life out of her – but this was preferred to the usual strange-hold around her head – and called loudly, making the others put their hands to their ears,

"Tobi and Yume are going down the slide!"

Yume pulled Tobi off slightly, then said with a half raised eyebrow,

"You have a water-slide?"

Tobi nodded his head vigorously,

"Of course we do!"

Deidara added, nodding his head with a grin,

"Wouldn't be as fun without one, yeah."

Yume grinned at her blonde friend,

"I suppose not."

Sasori shut the limo-door, then turned with a hand in his pocket,

"Shall we get going then?"

The others nodded in agreement then set off to wherever the pool was. Along the way, Yume walked along side Deidara with a smile on her face. He noticed and looked at her curiously,

"What's got you so happy, yeah?"

She turned her head, not having realised she'd been grinning like an idiot,

"Oh, nothing. It's just..." She clenched her eyes shut and jumped up happily, "I don't have any more exams left!"

Deidara smiled, watching her bounce along almost as energetically as Tobi. She stopped suddenly and turned on her heel, looking at him fully,

"And thank you for helping me with my art exam! I think it went really well!"

Deidara scratched the side of his nose, bashful for once,

"Don't mention it, yeah."

Up ahead of the pair, Hidan was walking along side Sasori, the vein on his forehead pulsating violently. Sasori noticed and said,

"Just relax. They're only talking."

Hidan huffed and walked a little faster, drawing away from the red-head who obviously had no idea what was going on. He made a mental plan in his head to drown Deidara as soon as they got in the pool- No, wait, that would only make Yume upset with him. Maybe he'd give Tobi some sugar and a snorkel, then set _him_ on Deidara. The blonde would never make it out alive, and maybe he'd drag Tobi down with him. Hidan laughed darkly at the thought.

Yume stopped mid-stride when Itachi announced from the front,

"We're here."

Her jaw dropped open. They had to be kidding. The building was the size of her school. She looked up, seeing part of a slide hanging out from the building, twisting and turning in loops above her head. Why... why had she never noticed this building before?

Kisame came up beside her and put his hand on her shoulder,

"Impressed?"

She could only nod in amazement. Kisame grinned,

"You should see the inside then!"

This seemed to be the only invitation her childish mind needed. Her eyes sparkled for a moment then she suddenly rushed past the others, heading off into the distance. Kisame blinked in surprise. Yume stopped just outside the doors to the large white building, jumping up and down excitedly,

"Come on, guys! Let's go!"

Tobi ran forward first, skipping slightly until he caught up to Yume, then the others followed behind, smiling slightly as they watched Tobi dive into Yume's outstretched arms for a hug.

oOo

Once inside the grand building a woman had appeared to show Yume to her changing-rooms; gaining protests from a couple who would have much rather her shared the mixed changing-rooms with them, but nevertheless she had been guided away, and then Sasori and Itachi had beat the two upside the back of the heads for suggesting such an idea.

Yume was now in a changing-cubical, under the instructions to take a left and go down the corridor when she was done. She opened her swimming-bag and pulled out the purple bikini, half regretting not having run out to the shops to buy something more covering. She glanced at it, deciding whether or not to just leave it and see what the boys had picked out for her, but then, after realising that was an awful idea, she put the bikini on reluctantly.

A few moments later she stepped out of the cubical wearing the bikini, her hair up in a high bun, and her clothes and bag held in one hand. She looked around the changing-rooms, surprised to find it completely empty. It was strange, a building this big, she would have expected it to be full with teenagers off to swim.

A thought dawned on her as she was making her way from the changing rooms to the showers – maybe the guys had rented the swimming-centre for the day? She wouldn't put it past them. It was probably just another way to avoid fan-girls.

She walked along the tiled floor in her bare feet, looking for these alleged showers. As far as she could see it was just one long tunnel of lockers. Nevertheless she kept on walking. In the end it turned out there were some showers – after another mile of lockers (well that was an exaggeration, but to Yume it _felt_ like a mile). For once the showers actually seemed like normal, standard swimming-bath showers. They were nothing fancy, nothing special. They were simple shower-heads with buttons to press beneath them. Yume thought it was nice to see something familiar for once; something from the normal-people world. Not like these fancy limousines and regal buildings.

_'WHAT AM I THINKING? I LOVE THAT STUFF!'_

Well, okay, Yume loved the fancy, expensive stuff that she was treated to, but it was still nice to see things that reminded her of her old life... even if it was a set of showers.

Yume dropped her bag down and stepped into the showers, switching it on, letting the water run over her. She ran her hands up into her hair, wiping her fringe away from her face. At least she could have some time to relax now – well, as much as she could, considering she'd be spending time with Tobi. Oh well, she was sure Hidan would probably intervene if Tobi got _too_ hyper. Hopefully.

The shower switched off so Yume stepped out, now soaking wet, squeezed her hair out then picked up her bags to take them to a locker. She decided to put them in the one closest to the doors to the pool so she didn't have to walk for a mile to get to them again.

Once she was done she gave one triumphant sigh; both because she was finally done with exams, and that she'd managed to fit all of her things into one teeny-tiny locker, and then made her way over to the doors to the pool. She rested her hands against the wooden doors, took a deep breath and pulled.

The moment the doors were wide Yume could hear the sound of her friends messing around in the water; even if she couldn't see them. She was stood facing the doors to the sauna. Yes, they had a sauna. Lucky bastards. She looked left, then right, then left again and walked in that direction, hoping it was the way to the pool; she couldn't really tell. She stepped out from behind the wall of the sauna to hear a loud wolf-whistle. Yes, this was the way to the pool alright. She gave a small wave to Hidan who was grinning at her from atop the large diving platform, then looked around. To say the place was big would be an understatement. There were two pools; the first – which Deidara, Tobi, Sasori and Kisame were swimming in – was twice that of a normal pool, possibly more, with diving-boards, a large inflatable volley-ball net at the other end, and the exit to the slide. The other pool – which Itachi was in – was smaller, and had a shallow end that gradually built into quite a deep pool, with a wave-machine.

Yume, seeing the others busy and Itachi on his own, decided to go and sit with him in the shallow end of the smaller pool. She walked over and sat down beside him, stretching her legs out so that the water could occasionally lap over them. Once she was sat down she smiled and looked at Itachi,

"Hello, Itachi."

He turned his head for a moment, smiled, then lay down; his hair just-in-so in reach of the rippling water,

"Hello Yume. You look nice."

Yume smiled at the compliment and decided to do the same as her friend, lying down with her head resting against the floor, every so often having the water tickle the bottoms of her ears. She turned her head sideways.

"Swimming not your thing then?"

Itachi smiled again, closing his eyes.

"Is it obvious?"

Yume let out a small giggle, wiggling her toes as a gentle wave lapped over them. She gave out a large sigh then closed her eyes, glad to actually _actually _have a moment to relax. She heard Itachi ask from next to her,

"So how did your Graphics exam go? I never asked."

Yume smiled, thinking back to a week ago.

"I think it was alright; you really helped me out." She opened an eye and looked across to him with a grin on her face, "and that pen is my new best friend!"

She saw Itachi smile again but he didn't say anything. She turned her head to look up at the ceiling, then closed her eye again. A moment later she snapped them open, having someone dive on her.

"YUME LOOKS SO CUTE IN HER SWIMMING-COSTUME! TOBI APPROVES!"

"AUGH!" Yume fought to throw Tobi off her since he'd sent them both further into the pool with the waves.

"Thank you, Tobi, that's very kind." She reached her foot up to press it against his bare chest, "But you don't have to be so vocal about it!"

Tobi clung on harder, hugging Yume madly.

"But Yume looks so-"

"I got'cha, Yume!" A sudden force appeared between the two that wrenched Tobi away, stunned. He looked up a moment later and waved frantically at the figure.

"Hi, Kisame!"

Kisame, in his shark-covered shorts, gave Tobi a toothy grin, then with one swift movement he sent the boy soaring out of the wave-pool, landing in the other pool with a large splash a moment later, accidentally landing on Deidara and sending him down too. Yume laughed, seeing Tobi resurfacing, spluttering and flailing about like a mad-man, and Deidara surfacing with his teeth clenched. He grabbed hold of Tobi and was attempting to dunk him, but the brunette had latched onto Deidara around the stomach with his legs, screaming loudly.

Yume looked up at Kisame,

"Nice."

He grinned again, giving her a thumbs-up,

"Just doing my job!"

Yume was about to point out that guarding her wasn't _his_ job, it was Amaya's, but was cut off by the appearance of Deidara - Tobi still clinging around his waist. He was yelling in Kisame's general direction,

"What the hell do you think you're doing, yeah?" He tried to push Tobi off him, "Why do I want him?"

Kisame, Yume and Itachi laughed at him, seeing Tobi only hug him tighter. The smaller boy in his orange, chick-covered, rather short shorts, sang in a loud, out of tune voice,

"Deidara's so waaa~arm! He's like a big, soft, squishy, cuddly-" A fist connected with the top of his head. As Tobi slid his way down the side of Deidara, a vein appeared on the blonde's head. Tobi was an idiot. Period.

Deidara looked up, about to yell at Kisame, but stopped when he saw Yume next to him. The vein vanished and a wide smile replaced it.

"Oh, hi Yume, I didn't know you were in here yet, yeah!" He said, waving happily. Yume smiled and waved back, only to have Kisame dunk her a second later. He started laughing madly, watching both Yume's expression from under the water, and Deidara's as he marched forward, probably about to attempt to rip him to shreds. Good luck. Yume resurfaced and coughed a little, a wave rolling over the top of her head.

"Kisame," She coughed, "That wasn't nice!"

He gave her a side-ways grin then had to look front instantly, having Deidara dive at him. He pushed his arms out just in time to hold Deidara off, but the two fell into the water, fighting with each other. Yume watched them fighting on the bottom of the pool, looked at the unmoving heap that was Tobi, looked at Itachi who was looking slightly amused, then sighed, rolled her eyes, and swam to the shallow end of the pool again, the waves pushing her along every now and then. She rolled up next to Itachi again and sat down, saying,

"I shouldn't really be surprised by now, should I?"

He chuckled in reply. Just then Tobi woke up, rolling over with his face in the water.

"W-what happened to Tobi?" he asked, pulling himself up, looking around with fuzzy eyes. It took him a moment to even register where he was, but then after realising, he got up, banged the water from his ears and ran off with a grin on his face.

"Uh-oh, I wonder what he's up to," pondered Yume. Itachi lay down again, resting his hands behind his head,

"I think he'll be going on the slide."

Yume watched Tobi running off down the platform between the two pools, and sure enough when he was at the end of it he disappeared through a door that read 'slide' above it.

Yume looked across to Itachi again, seeing him with his eyes closed, then decided to leave him to it; wanting to explore. She pulled herself up and walked across to the other pool, glancing back momentarily to see Deidara and Kisame still fighting at the deep end of the wave-pool. She sagged her shoulders.

_'Boys...'_

_**'You love them really.'**_

Yume chuckled to herself then looked back towards the other pool. She could only see one person, right in the middle of the pool. He was lying down on a large square-shaped piece of foam, keeping himself floating above the water. She rolled her eyes, looking between him and Itachi (who had only just decided to pull himself up to his feet). WHY WERE THEY SO LAZY? Oh well, she smirked, he'd learn.

Yume ran forward and jumped up, curving down into a dive, hitting the water with a small 'plop'. Yume had to admit, out of the many things she wasn't good at, swimming wasn't one of them. She'd always loved swimming really. She used to challenge Amaya to races all the time back when they were little.

She kicked her legs, propelling herself along the bottom of the pool. As she was swimming she noticed a large splash at the far end of the pool, almost eighty-five meters away (yes, big swimming-pool). A moment later when the ripples and bubbles had disappeared Yume watched a figure unfold themselves and swim back up to the surface, making their way to the ladders out. Yume surfaced too, watching the figure get out and make their way back over to the diving platforms. She rolled her eyes. What on earth did Hidan see in those things? Diving from ten meters is one thing but - she looked skywards, seeing the highest diving-platform just below ceiling level – that thing must be about twenty meters tall. Yume watched the figure climbing the ladders to the platform again.

_**'I always knew Hidan had a death-wish.'**_

_'For once I agree! WHO WOULD JUMP FROM THAT?'_

Yume shook her head, accidentally getting water in her eyes from doing so, then refocused back to the person lying leisurely on the foam board only a few meters away now. She could see the red mop of hair already. She dove back underwater, a sly smile on her lips again.

Sasori, who was happily lying on his back with his eyes closed, listening to the sounds of the others, rolled over onto his stomach and opened his eyes, glancing around lazily. There was hardly anyone about. They were probably all on the slide or something. He closed his eyes and rolled over again. Ah well, they could do what they wanted, _he_ was happy where he was.

_'Bang'_

His eyes shot open and he bolted up, looking around frantically. The only person around was Hidan, and he was up on the diving platforms. Strange – he could have sworn he'd felt someone hit him. He looked around again, then after being unable to see any possible culprits he lay down again.

Yume had approached that wrong. She hadn't managed to shove him off. This time she would. Yume swam down to the bottom of the pool then flipped over so her feet were touching the floor. She breathed out through her nose then pushed off the ground, hard. She soared up through the water and shoulder-barged the foam mat again, this time seeing Sasori appear in the water looking startled a moment later. A cascade of bubbles left her mouth as she tried to laugh when Sasori spotted her, then she swam up next to the mat and, seeing it empty, decided to claim it for herself. She pressed down on the edge of the foam, pulling herself up. Once she had one knee up she crawled forward, lying down on her stomach to drag herself onto the mat, only when she had all but one leg on she realised she couldn't move any further. Something was stopping her. She looked over her shoulder to see what the problem was, spotting a hand gripping her ankle. Attached to the hand, Sasori was watching her with an annoyed, but slightly amused expression.

"Yume, what do you think you're doing?"

She smiled innocently,

"I'm just lyi-_AHHHH_!" Yume clawed at the foam, trying desperately to stay on it as Sasori dragged her off by her ankle. She was pulled back into the water with a plop, then Sasori dove past her, taking hold of the edge of the mat, then he started to swim away with it. Yume called after him,

"Spoil-sport!"

She watched him turn with a smirk on his face. She rolled her eyes and swam after him. Sasori parked up again under the diving-platforms as Hidan had seemed to have disappeared. He pulled himself up and crawled across to the middle of the mat, but didn't bother to lie down because he knew what was coming. A second later Yume's head popped up next to the mat. She waved her hand in the air.

"I surrender. Can I come up now?"

Sasori chuckled to himself, then shuffled across to the edge to help Yume up. He pulled her up and then when she was sat on the edge of the mat he simply pushed her back off again, gaining an unexpected scream from Yume. She landed in the water with a splash, then surfaced and spluttered.

"I said I surrendered, Sasori!"

He smiled.

"You threw me off, I think it's only fair."

Yume mumbled something under her breath as she waded back over to the mat, then – without Sasori's help, although he offered – she scrambled back up onto the foam and sat there, crawling away from the edge this time. When she was settled she said, shoving Sasori in the shoulder,

"It's not nice to hit a lady."

Sasori looked at her with a raised eyebrow,

"I never hit, I shoved you," and to prove his point he shoved her in the shoulder again, "and who's ever called you a lady?"

Yume's jaw dropped open, then a second later she grinned and said, laughing slightly,

"Oi! That's really not nice!"

Sasori smirked so Yume shoved him again, though this time Sasori was sent toppling off the back of the mat. Yume laughed loudly, watching the water rippling where Sasori had fallen in. She hadn't meant to shove him that hard, but oh well.

When he resurfaced Yume gave him a hand up onto the mat and apologised half-heartedly, then looked around, only noticing now how quiet everything was.

"Hey, Sasori, where is everyone?"

He looked around too, having been wondering the same thing for quite some time now. The last person he'd seen around was Hidan, but he'd gone off to the slide a while ago. He had no idea where they'd all gone. He looked back at Yume, seeing her looking at him curiously. He shrugged.

"For once I have no idea."

Yume giggled.

"That's worrying."

Sasori tilted his head, draping an arm over his knee.

"Really? How come?"

Yume shook her head.

"That means we don't know where Tobi is."

"Oh," Sasori laughed, "I see your point."

Yume smiled then got to her feet, standing shakily on her legs. She looked over into the wave-pool, but even Kisame and Deidara were missing. They might have been gone for ages, who knew? Yume put her hands on her hips.

"Oh well... they can't have gone far."

Sasori lay down again, draping his feet over the edge of the float.

"You'd be surprised. This place is big."

Yume looked about the room, hardly able to see the doors to the changing-rooms from here,

"You don't say."

She heard Sasori chuckle.

After another moment of looking she decided not to worry. They were big boys. They could look after themselves – possibly even Tobi if he _had_ to. She sat back down on the mat then slipped off the edge into the water. Sasori opened an eye to look at her. She gave a wave and said,

"I'm going to try out the slide! See you later!"

He raised a hand lazily into the air, then flopped it back down onto his chest, saying good bye.

Yume looked about for the nearest set of ladders, then after spotting them close to the sign reading 'slide' she swam in that direction. She popped up next to the ladders and pulled herself out, then after taking another quick look around to see if she could spot any body – she couldn't – she turned and made her way through the archway to the slide.

As soon as she walked through the threshold she met the bottom of a set of spiralling stairs. She looked up. It just went on and on. DAMN IT! She sighed, stepping onto the first step.

_'I hope this is worth it.'_

_**'It better be! It looks like it's going to take five minutes just to get up there!'**_

Her brain wasn't too far wrong. It took her a total of four minutes, two seconds to hit the top step. Of course as soon as she was there, totally out of breath, it was only then that she noticed the little elevator that ran from the floor to this platform. She wanted to cry.

She _was_ going to beat the living death out of the poor unsuspecting elevator, but the sound of fast running water stopped her. She looked over to the large entrance of the slide. From where she stood it looked as if the inside of the slide was painted black, because she could see specks of fluorescent paint – possibly pretending to be stars, she didn't know. It just looked so pretty!

Yume's childish instinct kicked in and she ran across to the entrance of the slide. She sat down on the level part of the slide and leant forward, gripping hold of the hand-bar to push herself off. As she was about to go she heard the elevator start to move behind her. Sasori was probably coming up. She thought about waiting for him for a moment, then decided to rule that out because he hadn't told her about the elevator. She'd had to walk five hundred and nine steps – yes she'd counted – because of him.

So long Sasori!

Yume pushed off on the bar, sending herself into the dark tunnel. She grinned as soon as she hit the first bend, being sent half way up the side of the slide with the water pushing her along. She laughed, looking up at the thousands of little lights above her. She couldn't see where she was going but she knew there were a hell of a lot of bends and twists in this slide because she was being thrown about all over the place. She was having so much fun she hardly noticed the rapid increase in noise; that is until she turned another bend and suddenly crashed straight into something painfully fast, her legs either side of it. It seemed like a metal pole or something along those lines... but not hard. She leant forward, trying to figure out what it was. That's when a voice said,

"Right, who the fuck is that because your hands are fucking freezing!"

Yume leant back in surprise,

"H-Hidan!"

The 'pole' she was trapped around shifted a bit, then a voice said in as much surprise as she had just given,

"Yume?" She heard a laugh, then Hidan called out, "Never mind, Tobi, you stay put!"

There was a loud chorus of "NO!" in response, drowning out Tobi's muffled "Okie-dokie~!"

Yume tried to back up in the water-slide; realising – for some strange reason – that Hidan was the thing blocking her way and she had her legs around him, but he clamped his hand over the top of her foot.

"I wouldn't bother trying to get back up there. We've all tried."

Yume looked around in the dark, trying to figure out what was happening.

"H-Hidan... what's going on?"

She heard him laugh.

"Well my advise is get comfortable because you're going to be here a fucking long time."

Yume sighed and slid back down the slide, bumping against Hidan's back again. When she was back where Hidan was happy she was, he continued,

"So as I was saying. We've got a blockage."

A voice said from just ahead of Hidan,

"You can say that again!"

Yume squinted, trying to spot the voice,

"Kisame?"

"Hey, kid."

Now she was confused.

"Hidan, what is _actually_ happening?"

Hidan sighed,

"Tobi thought it would be a good idea to wedge himself in the pipe to stop us getting down the slide."

Yume heard a muffled call from quite a few meters away,

"Tobi thinks this is a good bonding experience~!" then she heard a muffled yell, and a call of, "DON'T HIT TOBI!"

"Then get out of the way, Tobi, yeah!"

Yume called down,

"Hi, Deidara!"

A voice replied,

"Hey, Yume! When did you get here, yeah?"

She called back,

"I just got here!"

"Oh," there was a pause, "yeah, I thought I felt something!"

Hidan decided to add,

"Yeah, you probably did, Yume just smacked her body against me."

Had it been lighter Yume would have been self-conscious about her face being beet-red, but now, in the dark, all she had was enough space to throw fists at Hidan. And that's what she did. Hidan's yells somehow managed to drown out Deidara's shouts of fury from the front.

After this was done Yume decided to ask, since she was trying to distract herself from the fact her legs had gone numb,

"So is everyone in here then?"

Kisame said,

"Yeah, all but Sasori I think."

"Sasori..." she said contemplatively. That's when it hit her.

_**'Aww crap!'**_

She launched forward and wrapped her arms around Hidan's chest, getting as close to him as possible. Of course as he was thinking this was Yume's confession of undying love for him, what she was actually doing was waiting for the impact of...-

"_UMPH_"

Sasori collided into her back, squishing her between himself and Hidan. Had it been under any other circumstance she – or any other Akatsuki fan-girl for that matter – would have given her right leg to be in this situation, but now, well now it just hurt like hell. She said, muffled by her head pressed into Hidan's shoulder-blade,

"Hello, Sasori."

There was a moment of silence, then Sasori said,

"Ah, I wondered where everyone had gotten to."

He pulled himself off Yume, giving her enough time to breathe, then she said, rubbing her back,

"You're heavy."

She could _hear_ him smirking again.

"You shoved me off the float."

Hidan, sat on the other side of Yume, decided to interrupt,

"Yeah, that's all well and fucking good, but now what?"

Sasori said from the other side,

"What's the problem?"

Hidan said, obviously through gritted teeth,

"Tobi."

"Oh." There was another pause. "Have you tried kicking?"

Hidan scoffed,

"Well I was going to, but then Yume crashed into me so I couldn't get enough mother fucking leeway to kick Kisame hard enough!"

Nobody noticed Kisame turn with eyes as wide as frying-pans.

Sasori sat there for a moment, thinking things through, then he said determinedly,

"I'll do it. There's no chance of any one else coming down so I've got the best shot."

Yume's eyes widened, realising what he was implying.

"No! No, no! No, I like my back how it is, thank you! I don't want you to kick me!"

She heard him laugh.

"I wouldn't dream."

She felt Sasori's legs leave the side of her and closed her eyes, waiting for some painful impact, but then she felt Sasori's arms wrap around her waist instead, pulling her backwards from Hidan.

"Uhh... Sasori?"

He let go and said,

"I said I wasn't going to kick you."

It was then that Yume realised he wanted her to move out of the way. She scrambled to the side of the slide, slipping slightly as the water rushed past her, and let Sasori past. It was Hidan's turn to sound surprised,

"Sasori, what the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"I'm doing you a favour."

Yume saw the silhouette of Sasori's arm reach out and press against the side of the pipe, then heard a creek as he lifted himself up from the water. There was a moment's pause where Hidan called angrily,

"Don't you fucking dare!" And then Sasori kicked his legs up and planted them firmly into the middle of Hidan's back, sending shock-waves down the rest of the group which – luckily for Hidan – unstuck Tobi from the front and sent him toppling backwards down the slide. As the rest all managed to unstick themselves from the slide and set off after Tobi (each with the intention of killing him painfully), they called back,

"Nice one Sasori!"

"Great job, yeah!"

"Sasori I'm going to break your fucking back as soon as we get down there! Fuck that hurt!"

Yume heard Sasori chuckle, then his silhouette disappeared from the slide too so she decided to follow; though waited a while so as not to fall into the pile of males that would obviously be at the bottom of the slide by now.

When she thought they were a safe distance away she sat down properly in the water and pushed herself off, lying down to look up at the fluorescent paint as she went. She straightened out and landed in the pool with a gentle splash, resurfacing moments later. As she wiped her hair from in front of her eyes she looked out of the pool, where she could see Hidan, Kisame and Itachi holding on to a bit of Tobi each, carrying him to the wave-pool. He was screaming loudly and trying to break free.

"TOBI DIDN'T MEAN IT! TOBI'S SORRY!"

They ignored him. They carried him over to the deepest part of the pool and then, after swinging him back and forth between them, they let go and sent him soaring into the pool. He screamed loudly, crashing right on top of a wave, being sent under immediately. Yume rolled her eyes, pulling herself up out of the water to watch. She wasn't even going to try and protect him. He'd deserved that. Tobi resurfaced and swam to the edge of the pool. He started to climb the ladders out but Hidan kicked him back in, then the silver haired boy jumped over the railings to where the controls for the wave-pool were. He gave them a look over, smiling devilishly, then turned the dial of the waves to 'tsunami'. By this time Tobi was swimming his way across to the shallow end of the pool. He looked round, hearing a low rumble. He froze then, his jaw dropping open. The ultimatum of all waves was heading his way.

Yume laughed, watching Tobi suddenly spring to life, trying to clear the wave by running to the shallow end of the pool. He was doomed from the start. The wave caught up to him in a matter of seconds and picked him up, carrying him and throwing him head-first into the wall at the other end of the pool, sending a shower of water down around him. He slid down the wall and lay in a heap at the bottom, twitching occasionally.

The other boys were laughing their heads off, Kisame high-fiving Hidan as he jumped back over the railings to the others. Yume grinned – although she did look to see if Tobi was still alive; it had been one heck of a hit. She watched until she saw him slowly but surely pull himself up, swaying from side to side, then fall over again. Oh good, he was fine.

She turned on her heel to dive back into the water, only to come face to chest with Deidara.

"Ah!" She yelled in surprise, backing up quickly. He laughed at her, ringing his hair out over one shoulder.

"Nice to see you too, yeah."

She smiled sheepishly, looking down at her feet. Deidara notice and leant down to look at her face.

"Are you okay?"

She snapped her head up to look at him again,

"Oh, yeah I'm fine!" She laughed, "Never better!" She paused in her laughter when she noticed Deidara hadn't attempted to go somewhere else yet. "Can I help you?"

He grinned, nodding his head.

"Yeah!" He pointed his thumb over his shoulder to the looming diving-platforms, "Do you want to come and dive with me, yeah?"

Yume looked past him to the tall white boards a short distance away. She had to crane her neck to see the top board.

"Umm, no thanks."

Deidara's face fell.

"Aw, come on, yeah! It'll be fun!"

Yume shook her head,

"No, I don't really want to..."

Deidara's happy expression reappeared on his face. Before Yume could protest he reached forward and grabbed hold of her hand, then turned and started pulling her along,

"Of course you do! Come on, it'll be fun, yeah!"

Yume's eyes bulged as he dragged her along to the stairs to the diving-platforms,

"No! Deidara! No, no!"

He laughed, hearing her protesting. He knew she'd have fun really.

He pulled her along until they were at the bottom of the metal ladders, then let her go up first. She passed by him, knowing she was never going to get out of it, and took hold of the ladders. She looked back at him so he gave her a reassuring smile and said,

"Go on."

She turned again, looking through the gap of the ladders at the pool, then looked up and started climbing, taking a deep breath. Deidara followed behind, making sure she didn't either fall off the ladders or try to back out of going up them. When Yume reached the little sign that read '10 meters' she sighed with relief, glad she was finally there. She stepped off onto the platform and looked ahead; her stomach churning slightly at the sight of how far the drop was.

Just then Deidara stopped on the ladders next to her and said in confusion,

"What are you doing stopping here, yeah?"

She looked back at him, realising only now that he wanted to jump from the top platform. Her eyes widened and she took a step back.

"No, Deidara! Seriously, it's a bad idea."

He rolled his eyes, reaching out to take hold of her hand again. She tried to pull back, but Deidara was stronger. He pulled her back onto the ladders behind him and started climbing, holding onto her hand tightly. She sagged. This was going to kill her, she knew it.

It was about another ten meters up that Deidara finally got off the ladders and helped Yume up too. Looking over the side of the ledge Yume instinctively jumped back and wrapped herself around Deidara's arm, swearing never to let go. He laughed and patted her on the head.

"Scaredy-cat, yeah."

Yume, with her eyes tight shut, yelled angrily,

"So sue me!"

Deidara rolled his eyes and walked forward, guiding Yume by the shoulders since she still wouldn't open her eyes. He stopped just by the edge of the drop and rubbed Yume's shoulders,

"You'll have fun, yeah, don't worry!"

She scrunched up her face.

"No I won't!" She opened one eye slightly, looking down. She could see Sasori on his float again, a small red square on the water now. She tried to step back but bumped into Deidara. "H-how high up are we anyway?"

"Twenty meters." Deidara said, grinning at the idea of jumping from this height. Yume wanted to buckle at the knees. She had no head for heights.

"TWENTY METERS, ARE YOU CRAZY?" She opened her eyes, only to lock them on Deidara, "Is that even legal?"

He shrugged.

"Who knows. Nobody's complained about it before, yeah."

As soon as Yume got down from here she was going to change that. She put her hands on her hips, her legs shaking slightly.

"Deidara, I really, _really_ don't want to jump."

He smiled, sitting down with his feet over the edge of the platform.

"That's okay. You don't have to jump, yeah." He reached his hand out for Yume to take. She looked at him nervously for a moment, then took his hand and sat down next to the blonde. He smiled and put his arm around Yume's shoulders, "I didn't know you were scared of heights, yeah."

She blushed from Deidara's arm across her shoulders, but he couldn't tell because her face was already flushed from worry. She shook her head, laughing slightly,

"No, I'm not scared of heights, I'm just," She peered over the edge, "scared of falling from heights."

Deidara laughed loudly from next to her.

"Fair enough."

He let go of her shoulders and took hold of her hand suddenly, a glint in his eyes and a playful smirk on his lips. He pulled himself up, taking Yume with him, then looked down at her,

"I said you didn't have to jump but being dragged is another matter."

Yume's eyes bulged.

"What-"

Before she had time to protest again Deidara jumped. He had hold of her so she jumped too. She started to feel herself fall through the air so instinctively grabbed for the first thing she could; the ledge of the platform. She caught it with one hand and just-in-so managed to hold herself there. Deidara, feeling something going on, looked up to see Yume taking hold of the ledge, her face as white as sheet. He was still dropping.

"Yume, what are you doing? You're going to hurt-" From the sheer force of the drop Deidara's hand was wrenched from Yume's as he continued to fall, leaving her holding onto the ledge with one hand. Deidara watched her manage to grip on with both hands before he had to flip over and straighten out to hit the water. He still managed to cause an awful smack against the surface.

Now left hanging from the twenty-meters-up platform, struggling to pull herself up, Yume did the only thing she could do at this point and screamed - loudly, her voice cracking in panicked fright.

Four sets of eyes darted to the diving-platforms. Four jaws dropped open. Yume tried to pull herself up again but her arms had almost turned to jelly; she was barely even able to hold herself there. Hidan, who had just had hold of Tobi by the neck and had been about to drop-kick him back into the pool, dropped him in shock. He saw Yume dangling from the platform, clutching on for dear life. Hidan's eyes flickered to the water just below the platform and saw Deidara surface, clutching at his chest. His jaw clenched and his fist tightened. He'd put two and two together. He took a step forward, about to dive in the water to go and murder Deidara, but stopped in his tracks when he heard Yume scream again. His eyes darted back to the platform, seeing Yume struggling to keep her grip. He started running.

Deidara rubbed at his chest where he'd hit the water. It was stinging like hell. He looked up through one squinting eye, only now seeing Yume still hanging on to the platform. She was writhing about madly, trying to pull herself up. Deidara's heart was in his mouth. He called up, not daring to move in case she fell,

"Yume! Why didn't you drop?"

She screamed back, her eyes filling with small tears as she tried to claw her nails into the platform,

"I told you I didn't want to drop but you didn't listen!"

Deidara went to say something back but the shock of what she had just said prevented him. She was right. He'd ignored her; even when she'd said she didn't want to twice. His stomach tightened.

Yume was holding on as tightly as she could, determined not to fall – but without being able to pull herself up there was little else she could do. She clenched her eyes shut, her arms becoming tired from having to hold herself up. She tried to take a deep breath to be able to think rationally, but given the situation she just couldn't do it. She had thought for a moment that it would be alright just to fall, but after looking down to see Deidara holding himself in pain, she knew she would end up worse off than him. She snapped her eyes open suddenly, feeling her finger-tips begin to lose their grip. They were slipping to the edge of the platform. It was only a matter of time before they lost total grip and she fell down; hurting something on impact with the water. She shut her eyes again, screaming loudly; her voice voice breaking in panic,

"Help," tears started to well up in her eyes, "S-someone! Please help me!"

Hidan was at the bottom of the ladders to the platforms now. He gritted his teeth again, hearing Yume scream in terror. He had no time to think; he took hold of the metal steps.

Yume couldn't even move now. She'd frozen in fear. Down below the other boys had gathered by the side of the pool, watching in anticipation as she struggled to keep herself up there. Sasori looked to Deidara who was still watching from in the pool; his face panic-stricken. He shook his head sadly.

Yume's arms had turned to lead. They were so heavy on her shoulders now, they seemed to be dragging her finger-tips faster to the edge of the platform. If she tried to move to get a better grip she'd only be putting strain on her other arm. She let out a sob, feeling one of her fingers leave the platform to dangle over the side. She was trying hard not to let go of the ledge, but she knew that she would. She just didn't have the strength any more. Her hand slipped. She fell.

…

…

"Yume, hold on! I've got you!"

Yume looked up, her eyes blurred with tears, to see Hidan leaning over the top of the diving platform, his hands wrapped tightly around her wrists.

"Don't let go!"

She shook her head vigorously, calling up with her voice still breaking,

"I wasn't planning to!"

She could see that Hidan was finding it difficult to hold her; his jaw clenched tight as he attempted to pull her up. Nevertheless he didn't give in. His hands turned vice-like around Yume's wrists and he pulled her, inch by inch. She wrapped her own hands around his wrists, attaching herself to him just in case it helped him in some way. As he pulled her up further he managed to crawl back across the platform and stand up slowly, eventually taking Yume with him. He managed to lift her up high enough to be able to set her feet down on the platform, then pulled her forward, away from the edge. As soon as she realised she was safe, Hidan's hands still around her wrists, she suddenly collapsed to the floor, shaking from shock. Her heart was racing so much she couldn't even feel Hidan's arms wrap tightly around her shoulders to comfort her.

Down below the other boys were cheering loudly, clapping and hollering. Deidara was watching with wide eyes; still as much in shock as Yume. He'd been an idiot. He'd put Yume at risk. He tried to face-plant the water, but it was water so it didn't hurt him, unfortunately.

Yume stayed at the top of the platform for a while, slowly letting her heart-beat fall back to normal. When her eyes were less dilate Hidan let go of her and rubbed her shoulder, saying, his voice that little bit shaky too,

"You alright?"

She looked at him, then slowly nodded her head; a weak smile on her face.

"Y-yeah, I'm okay." She sighed. "T-thanks, Hidan."

He sat back on his heels and gave out one small chuckle,

"Don't mention it." He looked her in the eyes, making sure she understood. "Just try not to do it again. You nearly gave us all a fucking heart-attack." He gestured to the array of voices calling up to the platform. Yume nodded her head again. Hidan rubbed the back of his head, sighing heavily, then looked over his shoulder at the ladders. He looked back to Yume, seeing her looking purposefully at the solid block of concrete so she didn't have to look anywhere else.

"Do you want to get down-"

"-yes please." Yume nodded her head frantically, starting to edge her way towards the ladders. Hidan nodded and let her shuffle past him, then stood up and followed her across. She looked up at him when she had her feet dangling over the edge and said,

"Do you want to go first?"

He shook his head, smiling,

"Nah, I think you want to get down faster than I do."

She nodded her head again, agreeing with him, then with shaky hands she turned round and lowered herself onto the ladders, then started to make her way down. Hidan let her get slightly ahead then he sighed, ran a hand through his hair again, then followed her down.

At the bottom of the ladders, the other boys were waiting to make sure both of them were okay, and Deidara was making his way out of the water. Yume appeared on the bottom step and hopped off, only to have Tobi tackle her again (this time having to be dragged off by Kisame _and_ Itachi), then Hidan appeared behind her, smirking.

"Hidan to the rescue, again!"

As Kisame was patting Hidan on the back, Deidara appeared, looking more sheepish than he'd ever done before in his life. He couldn't even look at Yume properly.

"Yume, I'm so sorry, yeah."

Yume, hearing her name, turned to face Deidara. She saw the look of concern on his face and smiled sympathetically. Eh, what could she say, she couldn't stay mad at him. Not when he was giving her _that_ face.

"It's alright, Deidara. I'm not hurt so it's okay." She stepped forward, trying to stop him doing the face. He looked at her through the mass of blonde hair in front of his face and smiled slightly; just so glad she wasn't mad with him - his eyes flickered to the male behind her; who was giving the biggest and worst death-glare he could muster – Hidan was another matter. Deidara could tell he was going to have to sleep with one eye open tonight.

Sasori looked between the two boys and sighed heavily, putting his knuckles to his forehead. He knew already that he was going to have to bar the doors and windows tonight. Hidan had a strange, eerie look about him.

Yume looked about, seeing everyone looking at her still, making sure she was alright, so she raised her hands and said with a slightly forced laugh,

"It's alright guys, I'm fine!" She decided to prove her point – and get away from the sea of anxious faces – so she turned and jumped into the pool, resurfacing moments later, "See?"

The others seemed to give out a collective sigh of relief, then Sasori suggested, trying to make sure everything else ran smoothly,

"How about we have a game of Volley-ball?" He walked over to the side of the diving-platforms and produced a ball. "Anyone?"

oOo

So for the next while the group of friends played a match of Volley-ball; Sasori purposefully putting Hidan and Deidara together on the same team as Kisame, and Yume on the same team as himself and Itachi. Tobi wasn't allowed to play. Don't ask why; it's Tobi, you should understand by now. After the game was won by Sasori's team; since Deidara and Hidan hadn't been hitting it hard just in case they'd hit Yume (this being the whole reason Sasori had put her on his team in the first place), they all went back to doing separate things for a while; Yume having done some swimming on the bottom of the pool, and then when Kisame and Tobi had attacked her with super-powered water-guns, she'd joined in that instead, then she'd gone and stolen Sasori's float and gone surfing on it in the wave-pool with Deidara, and then, finally, she went and sat with Itachi again, where it had all started. Gradually the others joined the pair – apart from Tobi who just wouldn't quit going down the slide – and when they were all royally exhausted they decided to call it a day. Yume said good bye to her friends, then after rejecting the idea of having her picture taken wearing a bikini from Hidan, she went into the changing-rooms. A few of the guys stayed back to relax in the sauna, but Yume had had enough by now and just wanted to fall asleep.

She took a shower, pulling out the messy bun and washed her hair, then once done she went and got her things from the locker and started the mile's walk back to the changing-cubicles. Along her way she decided to pull her phone out to see if she had any new messages. She routed around in her back then pulled it out, flipping the lid. Sure enough, on the screen there were the words; '_1 New Message: Kimimaro'_. She opened the text and read over it, then sighed once she had.

_'Ah well, I knew this was going to happen.'_

_**'But did they have to start right away?'**_

_'The guys were good enough to hold off concerts until exams were over, don't be angry at them.'_

_**'THEY COULD HAVE WAITED MORE THAN A DAY TO SCHEDUAL A REHERSAL THOUGH!'**_

Yume laughed to herself, putting her phone back in her bag. She had one more concert to do before the whole 'touring round the world' fiasco, and this one was supposed to be the big one. This concert was supposed to be the one to show the world what they were made of. Apparently Minato had pulled out all the stops for this; special effects and everything. Yume had yet to see what these special-effects were, but no doubt they would be something ridicu- spectacular. They'd been told they were going to be performing a mix of covers and original material to hit a wider range of people, so at least Yume knew some of the songs off by heart already. So far she'd only had a few rehearsals, giving leeway for her exams, but now since they were over, and this O-so-glorious concert was in roughly a week from now, she'd already been scheduled for three rehearsals, and no doubt there would be more to come.

Yume reached the cubicles and wiped the thought of concerts from her mind for the time being, wanting to get changed quickly; wanting to leave enough time to dry her hair since it usually took a long time. She had a lot of hair. Once she was changed _and_ once she'd dried her hair off enough to be happy with it, she put it back in a high pony-tail then gathered up her stuff and headed out to the reception-area, where those who hadn't stayed in the sauna were waiting for her. Kisame gave her a toothy grin, pointing at the invisible watch on his wrist,

"Take your time."

She laughed, waving it off. Instead she said to him,

"You didn't want to stay in the sauna?"

He blew a strand of loose hair out of his face,

"It's not that I didn't want to, just that-"

"-He doesn't get a choice." Finished Itachi for him. "If one of us leaves the group, Kisame has to go with them."

Sometimes Kisame felt like banging his head against a brick-wall for agreeing to be Akatsuki's bodyguard. He missed out on so much! But still, he'd agreed to because he was Itachi's friend and he wanted to make sure he was safe.

Yume smiled,

"Ah well, I'm sure you'll get to go back in the sauna sometime."

He grinned a toothy grin again.

"Yeah, I hope so."

It was only Kisame and Itachi who hadn't stayed behind in the sauna, so Itachi – not fearing for his own safety – decided that they didn't need to call Zetsu to drive Yume home; they could use Kisame...! Needless to say, Yume was carried kicking and screaming to the limo, yelling something about how she would rather sleep with Tobi's cabbage-patch kid than get in a car with Kisame at the wheel. She was ignored.

Along the (_very_) short journey back to her house, amongst the toppling and turning, being thrown about, and accidentally smacking Itachi in the mouth once, Yume actually managed to have a conversation, since Itachi didn't seem to be affected by Kisame's driving at all. Maybe he'd glued himself to the seat?

Itachi asked; a small smile on his lips as he watched Yume land upside-down on the chair opposite,

"So what are your plans now?"

She replied, readjusting herself to sit on the seat properly,

"Well I'm not sure really. I have another concert with my band soon; just before prom," She saw Itachi raise his eyebrows before she was thrown sideways as Kisame hit a bend, and added as she flew through the air, "which you guys are more than welcome to come to, by the way!"

She landed against the back seats of the limo so Itachi replied,

"I'd heard rumour of that actually. Isn't it supposed to be a début of some description?"

Yume nodded, pulling herself up to walk back across to her seat,

"Yeah-" She hadn't actually told the guys she was going to be touring over the summer yet. She'd been trying to keep it a sort of secret; knowing they'd only make a fuss. She may as well spill the beans now though, seeing as though she was with the most sensible of the boys right now, and they were going to find out soon enough anyway.

"-It's to promote our band-tour."

Itachi raised his eyebrows again, then lowered them.

"It doesn't surprise me." - Yume laugh, tripping on her way back to her seat. - "You've gotten quite famous now, haven't you?"

Yume grinned, then Kisame went over a bump in the road at full speed so she accidentally face-planted the chair. She cursed something about Kisame, a fishmonger and crab-sticks, then sat up rubbing her nose.

"Yeah, it's a bit strange thinking about it though. A few months ago I was just, well, me."

Itachi smiled. He decided to press further, knowing the others would want to know the extent of this tour,

"So how long will you be gone?"

"Two months, Minato says."

Itachi nodded. He stayed quiet for a moment, then asked,

"Where are you touring to?"

Yume was about to answer but Kisame did a handbrake-turn, sending her soaring into the seat next to Itachi. He decided to save her the torment and held her in place against the seat; knowing she'd probably end up flying out of the window if she wasn't careful. Yume smiled, thanking him, then continued what she'd been saying,

"We're going everywhere; all the major cities."

This time Itachi raised his eyebrows and kept them there.

"I'm impressed, Yume." She laughed. "Are you looking forward to it?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"I think so. It's going to be great and I'm going to be spending two months with my friends, but I'm going to miss everyone around here." She laughed again, louder, "And I'm not sure Amaya's allowed on tour with me so I'll have to leave her in charge of the house." She stopped laughing suddenly, only now realising what that meant. She turned to Itachi with her eyes wide. He looked at her curiously, wondering what the sudden change in expression was from. Yume said, suddenly panic-stricken, "Can you look after my house? I can't leave Amaya in charge or I won't have a house to go back to!"

Itachi let out a proper laugh for the first time in a while.

The limousine screeched to a halt outside Yume's house a few moments later, sending Yume crashing against the side of the limo - despite Itachi's attempts to hold her still. She picked herself up off the floor, swaying from side to side until she reached the door, then opened it and looked back over her shoulder,

"Well, see you, Itachi!"

He nodded, waving at her lazily,

"See you at the concert if not before."

She nodded her head, grinned, then attempted to jump from the limo but felt too sick and ended up nearly tripping over the curb. Never, _NEVER_ was she ever getting in a car with Kisame ever. No.

She turned slowly, keeled over slightly to try and stop herself throwing up, and shut the door, then waved as the limo started up again and drove off.

Once it was gone Yume sighed, laughing to herself. Well, although that trip had meant to be a way to make her relax, it really hadn't done the trick, but these days she didn't like having a relaxed life anyway. It wasn't normal.

As Yume made her way up to her house she stretched her arms up above her head, smiling. The biggest concert of her career, and prom to look forward to next week. This was going to be fun.

* * *

_WOOT! Okay, it's official guys, I've got three chapters left! I've planned them all, including final pairings (which you might actually be surprised about), but to be honest, as much as I said I wanted to get this finished by the time I leave school-_

_Deidara: -She doesn't want to finish this story. She likes it too much, yeah_

_Me: Yes, thank you Deidara (hits with frying-pan), so I'm aiming for the next chapter before I leave (28th of June), and then the final 2 chapters (because they have to be done together!) on the first day of the official end of school term! It's the 22nd of July! I hope you can wait that long!_

_Deidara: Well they don't really get a choice in the matter, do they, yeah?_

_Me_: _(Looks between Deidara and the frying-pan) How are you not unconscious?_

_Deidara_: _You've hit me so many times I'm immune now, yeah! (Grins smugly)_

_Me:__ (D:) WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? (Looks at reader) We're all doomed._

_Deidara: (Gags Sarah) sorry about her, guys, yeah! Hope you've enjoyed the chapter and please review! We want to try and hit 100 before the end of the story!_

_X-Deidara's Lover-X_


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anyone from Naruto

Claimer: I own Yume and Amaya! They are mine! HANDS OFF!

Me: The only thing I can think to say up here is.. uhh... a warning for chapter 21 (when it gets here) is **.:SUPER LONG CHAPTER:.** (just a warning in advance!)

Deidara: Oh great, even more of your drivel to read, yeah!

Me: (Eye twitching) ... (turns to reader) please, do enjoy, I'm just going to have a little... chat with Deidara!

* * *

Chapter 20

As per usual just before any concert, Yume found herself being dragged around below stage by Mei's team of workers; being thrown into different rooms of stylists. Currently she was in hair, having had her make-up done already. Yume was sat in the chair, Lee at her hair, snipping away vigorously.

"You have let your hair get very untamed, Yume." He said disapprovingly. Yume smiled nervously at this, watching Lee snip at her fringe.

"I just haven't had time to do anything with it in a while."

Lee grinned, a sparkle gleaming off his bleach-white teeth.

"Then have no fear! I shall do my very best to make you look amazing again!" He paused, pulling away from her fringe, "Now how would you like your hair?"

"Umm…" She didn't know what to say. Seeing her in a slight distress another of the hair-team stepped forward and finally decided to pass Lee a note; it was from Minato. He took it, read over it then Yume watched a smile creep out onto his face. He folded the paper and put it in his green spandex pocket then said, holding up his scissors again,

"Ah, fine, Minato trusts me to style you anew so I will do my best!"

Yes, Minato had ordered all four of the band members to have another make-over. Why? Probably something to do with making a big impact. He'd said he wanted them to go up on stage looking as close to their true-selves as possible – as natural as possible. He'd already picked out outfits for them with Mei – which of course he hadn't shown them yet – which apparently showed the 'real them'. Yume didn't even know what the 'real her' was, and she had a strange idea Minato probably didn't know either. She couldn't wait to see this outfit.

Another thing she had yet to see was the set of special effects Minato was using for tonight's concert. Although all four band members had asked enough times, he had never once answered them clearly – he'd only smiled and said 'you'll see'. The only hint he'd ever given to Yume was the phrase; 'learn to sing while you're moving about a lot'. From this she'd practised singing whilst on roller-blades, so she thought she was pretty well prepared for whatever came her way now.

Yume sat in the chair, occasionally talking to Lee as he attacked her hair with his scissors, and then later his curling iron. He pulled away short after, grinning as he always did at a job well done. He miraculously pulled a large mirror from his jumpsuit and held it up for Yume. She took it from him and looked at her reflection, her eyebrows raised,

"Wow, Lee, it looks really good."

He threw his thumb up, announcing loudly,

"Only the best for Konoha Chibi Parade!"

He'd styled Yume's hair into two large pig-tails high on her head, and then curled them into many many ringlets that fell down to below her shoulders. He'd completely removed Yume's straight fringe; instead shaping it into a sweeping fringe that just missed covering the top of her right eye. As Yume admired his handy-work, Lee said,

"Close your eyes, please!"

Yume looked up,

"Huh?" She saw Lee with the can of industrial-strength hairspray. "Oh." She threw her hands in front of her eyes.

Once her hair was done Yume barely had chance to say good bye to Lee and have him wish her good luck before she was grabbed and dragged away to the wardrobe-department. As soon as she was thrown through the door she noticed the room empty, save for Minato and Mei. They both looked at her as she nearly tripped through the doorway, smiling. Mei threw her hands up merrily,

"Ah Yume, just in time!" She pointed to Minato over her shoulder, "We were just looking over the final touches to your outfit!"

Yume smiled at this, inwardly praying not to come out of this looking like a giant blueberry. Mei seemed to have a tendency to put her in blue outfits; apparently they matched her eyes.

As Yume went to sit in the chair to be attacked by the wardrobe-team, Mei watched her go and laughed. As Yume put a hand on the chair, she looked back curiously,

"Ummm...?"

Mei pointed towards the door,

"You're not getting changed in here; we need you by the stage!"

Yume didn't have time to ask before Mei reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her off out of the room; Minato following behind with a smile on his face. Yume was pulled along so many sets of corridors she became dizzy, slowly getting closer and closer to the stage. Just as she though Mei was going to actually drag her up onto the stage the woman took a sharp left and stopped dead, seeing her usual crew of wardrobe-artists.

"Found her!" She said cheerily. As the other workers started to crowd round, Mei announced, "Okay, so first we'll try the dress on, do any adjustments," Her eyes lit up like fireworks, "Then we'll try out the mechanics!"

Yume – who had been trying to spot her outfit in amongst the piles of clothing – darted her head round so fast she could have given herself whiplash.

"Mechanics!"

Mei nodded her head, tapping the side of her nose,

"You'll see, dear." She pointed over her shoulder to Minato again, laughing at the soon-to-be-dead man, "It was his idea!"

As the woman walked off to find Yume's dress, Yume rounded on Minato. He smiled sheepishly, realising Yume had found out about his plan.

"Mechanics, Minato?"

He smiled, trying to show her that it _was_ a good idea.

"The audience will love it! This concert will get talked about for months!"

Yume didn't really care about that right now.

"What exactly _are_ these mechanics?"

Minato's face faltered slightly, seeing Yume almost about ready to kill him. He raised his hands defensively,

"They're nothing bad, Yume, honestly. Just something to catch peoples' eye!"

She glared at him a moment longer, trying to get a better answer than that, but when he never said anything more she sagged and turned, heading off to find Mei. She'd just have to wait and see then.

She made her way into the group of Mei's wardrobe-crew - only at the moment she spotted Mei, the rest of the people around her seemed to turn and dive on her like a wave. Her panicked yell went unheard.

When Yume re-emerged from the mass it was to see Mei smiling at her. She had something in her hands – Yume's outfit – but before Yume had a chance to look at it properly, Mei handed it to one of her team then Yume was dragged under again. A while later the crowd of people broke away; when Mei clapped her hands.

"Alright! I want to see what it looks like!"

The group dispatched, leaving a very stunned and slightly swaying Yume. Mei's eyes lit up slightly, seeing her masterpiece. Minato, next to her, smiled,

"Good job, Mei."

She passed him a sideways glance, smirking slightly,

"What did you expect?" She turned her attention back to Yume, "What do you think?"

Yume was still in shock from the tidal-wave of people; much to Mei's amusement. She snapped from her trauma, hearing her name, and looked down at herself curiously. Just away from her, Minato was waiting with baited breath. He had a very good idea of how she was going to react to this - he saw her face drop - aww crap, he was right.

Yume looked up, then down at herself again; her eyes the size of tennis-balls and her jaw almost touching her collar-bone.

"Y-you guys... you have to be kidding?"

Mei shook her head, red hair being thrown about madly, not understanding the problem. Minato – the one who had come up with the 'new design' of the outfit in the first place – was looking much more sheepish.

"I think it shows the real you."

Yume looked up from the dress to Minato, her eyes turning slightly deranged.

"Oh you do, do you?"

Minato laughed nervously, stepping back slightly to hide behind Mei.

"Well... you do only wear it when you're comfortably in your own home."

"And that's the only place I plan on wearing it! GET ME OUT OF THIS DRESS RIGHT NOW!"

Yume was stood, her hands bawled into fists in the mass of blue material that made the large, puffed-out skirt of her mid-length, bell-sleeved, bow-covered dress. The dress that looked suspiciously like her dress back home. The dress she only wore round her house. The dress that she she'd sworn never to wear out in public (apart from that one time at the cinema but she'd had absolutely no say in that). Her eye twitched.

Mei threw her arms in the air, exclaiming,

"It looks perfect on you, though! Why deny the public what they want?"

For once Yume ignored the head of one of the biggest fashion magazine's advice, and instead rounded on Minato. He sighed heavily, trying to convince Yume to wear the dress,

"You were wearing that dress the day I came round to drop off the finance papers. I'd never seen you looking so relaxed before!" He watched Yume roll her eyes, "And I want you to feel that same way up on stage!"

Yume put her hands on her ruffle-covered hips, her eyes exasperated,

"I don't want to get egged off stage, thank you very much!"

Minato chuckled,

"You won't." He paused, "And don't you have Amaya to stop that, anyway?" He watched Yume nod her head slowly, still trying to find her way out of having to wear the dress. "Yume, this is the _real _you, and you shouldn't be ashamed of who you are!"

Yume had been about to make another protest but at these words she stopped.

_'...He's right-'_

_**'-Damn him!... But do we really want everyone seeing us in this dress?'**_

_'...Well... Akatsuki are always saying I shouldn't care what others think, and to just be myself!'_

_'__**Idiot.'**_

_'I... may as well give it a shot, right?'_

"Fine, I'll wear it." She said, heaving a great sigh, "but if I get laughed off stage I'm wearing a bin-bag next time."

Minato was going to tell her that wearing a bin-bag was probably even worse, but glad that he'd persuaded her, he didn't.

As the pair fell into silence Mei decided to input; wanting to keep everything running smoothly and on time,

"Okay! Glad that's sorted!" She turned and pointed closer to the stage, "Now, Yume, on to the mechanics!"

Minato's face faltered again, realising now – after seeing Yume's reaction to the dress alone – that theses next few moments were undoubtedly going to give him a headache. Mei guided Yume up a set of ladders and onto the left wing of the stage, Minato following behind with a knowing grimace on his face. She was going to kill him; he knew it.

Mei stopped just next to the side-entrance to the stage, tapping a man on the shoulder when she did. The bald man turned, seeing Mei, so she said to him,

"This is Yume," She pointed to Yume, "Take good care of her."

Yume turned her to Mei quickly, realising what she was implying,

"You're leaving?"

The woman smiled, patting Yume on the shoulder,

"Of course!" She winked, "Those boys of your can't dress themselves!"

Yume laughed suddenly, the image of Suigetsu with his head stuck in an arm-sleeve left in her mind.

Mei waved to her then turned and left, patting Minato on the shoulder as passed. Once she'd gone, Yume turned to the man who was fiddling with dials and controls. He looked down at her, noticing she was waiting, and said,

"Give me a sec' and I'll fix ya' in."

"Okay!" She said brightly. Now was her chance. "...Into what?"

The man turned again, this time looking slightly confused,

"Uhh... into the mechanical wings, a'course."

Yume kept the smile on her face but slowly, so slowly, she turned to look at Minato, her eyes filled with an eerily calm expression. Minato took a step back.

oOo

It was half an hour later and the stadium, hidden by the large curtain at the front of the stage, was full to the brim with people. The noise alone was enough to unnerve anyone. Elsewhere below stage Haku was sat in his chair; Lee combing his hair up into a bun for him. Just as Lee was putting the final hair-clip in place the pair heard a crash from outside, then the door to the dressing-room was thrown open. Stood there in the doorway, Suigetsu was keeled over slightly, panting and out of breath.

"There- there you are! Phew!" He straightened up, catching his breath, "Where are Kimi and Yume?"

Lee stepped away, finished with Haku's hair, so the brunette stood up,

"I don't know, sorry." He laughed, "Why?"

Suigetsu pointed down the hallway,

"We're on in fifteen minutes and I can't find either of them!"

"Hmm," Haku turned back to Lee – who suddenly attacked him with hairspray – then when the mist had cleared and Haku had gotten over his coughing fit he asked, "Have you seen Yume or Kimimaro recently?"

The pudding-bowl nodded his head energetically,

"Yes indeed! Mister Kaguya was in here last. He said that he was going to check on his drum-kit,"-Suigetsu, hearing this, dashed off at top speed-"And Yume was in here a while ago but she was taken off to wardrobe over at the stage."

Haku gathered up his things and nodded, smiling at Lee,

"Thank you, Lee."

He grinned; the sheen from his teeth almost blinding Haku.

"It is no problem! I wish you the best of luck with your performance too!"

Haku nodded again, smiling once more, then left in search of the others. As he walked along the corridors below the stage he looked about, occasionally waving at passing crew members. A few pointed him in the direction of the 'crazy blue-haired boy' (Suigetsu) so eventually he arrived to where Suigetsu and Kimimaro were talking.

"Hi guys!" he said, relieved he'd found them. They waved back then Kimimaro continued what he'd been saying,

"She'll be around. It's not like Yume to miss a concert, after all."

Suigetsu nodded, looking around again anxiously,

"So where is she?"

Haku spoke up, giving his input,

"Lee said she was in wardrobe here by the stage."

The three looked about again, half expecting her to appear out of thin air at any second. She was no where to be seen of course. Suigetsu ran his hands through his hair, almost attempting to pull it out.

"I'm going to kill her!" Just then his phone starting to vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and flipped the lid, then rolled his eyes as he read the name, "Speak of the devil."

He read the text, and at the same time Haku decided to look across to the other wing of the stage. Had he been holding anything he would have dropped it by now. Suigetsu's eyes darted there next – after having read the text – then Kimimaro looked too, just so he didn't feel left out.

Across the stage Yume was staring at them with wide, 'save me' eyes. There was something attached to her back that oddly enough looked like a jet-pack. The curtains were still down so the three dashed across the stage to her. Suigetsu yelled as he approached,

"Where have you been!"

"Here." She said in a deadpan voice.

"Isn't that your dress from home?" Kimimaro asked curiously, seeing what she was dressed in. Yume shook her head dully,

"Not quite."

He leaned over her shoulder,

"And what's this?" He touched the top of the metal box on her back. She sighed heavily.

"Don't touch it. I don't want them springing open again; we just got them closed."

The other three didn't really know what to make of it.

"Them?" Haku asked curiously. Yume pointed over her shoulder to the flat-pack piece of metal on her back. She tried to smile.

"I have wings."

"What?"

"Seriously?"

Suigetsu laughed and wrapped an arm round Yume's shoulders,

"Better you than me! Minato must have paid a load for them. Do they work?"

Yume pushed him off, explaining,

"Believe it or not they're Deidara's invention. And, well, I don't know. I think they're just for show." She shook her shoulders, laughing slightly, "Well I hope so at least!"

Kimimaro nodded, realising why Minato was going to such lengths as strapping Yume into a pair of mechanical wings.

"He wants a big impact on the first song when we sing-"

"-Angel of darkness." Yume nodded her head woefully, "Yup."

Suigetsu laughed loudly, seeing Yume in obvious discomfort, then was stopped by the same bald-headed man from before. He came up behind Yume and patted her on the shoulder, saying to her as well as the others,

"Get your equipment and set up on stage, guys, you're on in a few."

All four went to leave, only the man's hand stayed on Yume's shoulder, holding her in place. Suigetsu and Kimimaro ran off, Haku stopped to look back at Yume, and she in turn looked up at the man. He shook his head.

"We've got to run you through one last test. 'Just have to test the controls to make sure it's okay."

Yume gulped.

"W-working okay? Check if what's working okay?"

The man smiled,

"Well your wings a'course."

Yume looked to Haku with pleading eyes, hoping he'd try to help her out of it, but he only smiled apologetically then ran off with the other two to collect their equipment, leaving her to fend for herself. He called back,

"I'll grab your microphone for you!"

She sighed heavily.

"Oh, thanks a bunch..." She turned to the man, a fake smile fixed in place. "Okay! So let's make sure everything's _safe._"

Her stomach flipped when she saw him produce a small control box – it looked like one that should be used for controlling a toy helicopter. Oh hell no.

oOo

It was show time. Yume was stood at the front of the stage, her hands wrapped painfully tight around her microphone, waiting anxiously for the curtains to rise.

As she was waiting there was one clear thing running through her mind,

_**'Stay calm. It'll be fine. It's one song; you'll be alright. You're not going to die-'**_

"Yume!"

Yume looked round quickly, hearing Haku's voice. He gave her a bright smile, nodding his head,

"You'll be fine, don't worry." He pointed at Suigetsu and Kimimaro, still looking at her, "We'll make sure nothing bad happens to you."

She smiled gently at this – a little of her confidence restored. She mouthed the words 'thank you' just before one of the crew members from the side of the stage called,

"One minute. Tune up."

Suigetsu set his amp on low and tested out his guitar; Haku doing the same with his synthesizer keyboard. Yume looked back at the large red curtain in front of her then closed her eyes and waited, breathing slow.

On the other side of the curtain, a certain raven-haired girl had managed to push her way to the front of the vast room; right up to the security-fence. Amaya had left Temari, Sakura, Hinata and Naruto at the back of the room, almost a hundred meters away. She was grinning from ear-to-ear. This was the first Konoha Chibi Parade concert she'd been allowed to go to in ages! There was no way in hell she was just going to watch from the back! From here she'd be able to see Yume and the others clearly, and be able to jump up on stage to stage-dive if needs be.

Her eyes began to wander around the room, looking out for anyone she might know, but then they darted to the large red curtain when the intro-music suddenly cut off. People all around the hall fell silent, waiting to see what was going to happen next. When everyone was moderately stilled, a voice rang out around the room,

"They came from nowhere but quickly gripped your hearts with their music and looks. They've been taking the world by storm. Their music has-"

As Minato continued his rant into the microphone from the side of the stage, the four friends with their instruments looked at him with a 'you're milking it a bit, aren't you?' look. He stifled a laugh, seeing their expressions, then decided to wrap it up with, "-So here they are, performing live for you tonight! It's Konoha Chibi Parade!"

As the sound of applause exploded from the other side of the curtain, Yume wondered just how many people were actually out there. It sounded like a thunder storm. Yume was quickly pulled from her thoughts, hearing Haku call,

"Get ready!" then he pressed the first key on the synthesizer. The curtain started to pull up. Yume felt her chest tighten. She wasn't nervous to perform; she was nervous about what she was going to have happen to her – though it was one song. She'd be fine. She gulped the lump from her throat and closed her eyes. She pressed her hands tightly around the microphone, then began to sing.

_'Angel of darkness  
Angel of darkness  
The world is in your hand,  
But I will fight until the end.'_

The curtains were the whole way up now, revealing the long stretch of people who were there to watch the performance. Yume opened her eyes, took another deep breath and continued,

'_Angel of darkness  
Angel of darkness  
Don't follow your command,  
But I will fight and I will stand.'_

As Suigetsu started to play in on his guitar, Yume gripped the microphone and started to speak into it, pulling it from its stand to walk to the front of the stage as far as she could go,

'_When darkness falls,  
Pain is all,  
The Angel of Darkness  
will leave behind,  
but I will fight.'_

Yume flickered her eyes across to the man at the side of the stage who was holding the small control box. It was almost time.

'_The love is lost,  
beauty and light,  
have vanished from  
garden of delight.  
The dreams are gone,  
midnight has come,  
the darkness is our new kingdom_. _Yeah-eah...'_

The man pressed the switch and as Yume continued to sing the crowd in front of her gasped and hollered, seeing two large wings sprouting out from her back. Amaya, stood at the front still (having a hard time stopping herself being shoved backwards into the mosh-pit), was stood with her mouth wide open. There was no way they were real, she knew that, but dear God they looked it. The wings continued to grow from Yume's back, bigger and bigger. If they were mechanical they sure as hell didn't look it. They were almost pure feathers; large and powerful.

_'Angel of darkness  
Angel of darkness  
The world is in your hand,  
But I will fight until the end._

_Angel of darkness  
Angel of darkness  
Don't follow your command,  
But I will fight and I will stand.'_

As Haku, Suigetsu and Kimimaro went into their instrumental, Yume gripped the microphone as hard as she could, starting to panic. Amaya noticed too, being so close, and it made her wonder what was about to happen. Yume was turning as white as a sheet. The girl on stage closed her eyes, took a deep breath to calm herself then heard her queue again so she spoke into the microphone harshly. As she did so, the men at the side of the stage prepared and Minato crossed his fingers.

_'Hunt goes on,  
deep in the night,  
time to pray,  
down on your knees,  
you can't hide from the  
eternal light,  
until my last_  
_breath I will fight( I will fight...)'_

Yume's eyes flickered again to the side of the stage. The man was twiddling with the control box. He looked to her, making sure she noticed him, then pressed the big red button.

'_Now realize, the stars they die,  
darkness has fallen in paradise.  
but we'll be strong, and we will fight,  
against the creatures of the ni-...night-'_

Yume's stomach lurched and for a split second the other three band members faltered in the song, seeing what was happening. The wings attached to Yume's back were moving. They were beating down hard – gaining screams of applause from the audience. Yume felt her body being lifted up; something she couldn't stop. She felt her feet leave the ground, only having the tip of one foot touching until she was pulled up completely. Back on the ground Amaya was stood with her mouth wide open,

"Fucking hell..."

Yume was up in the air. She wasn't too high (not as high as she had been at the swimming-baths that time), but was definitely high enough for even people at the back of the room to see she wasn't on the ground any more. Later she was going to find Deidara; find Deidara and kill Deidara. The wings holding her suspended were _his_ invention so he was going to pay. Now, however, she simply gripped the microphone as tightly as she could so as not to drop it, and sang, loud and powerful as she stayed hovering in one place; the wings beating hard, sending gusts of air out into the room.

'_A-angel of darkness  
Angel of darkness  
The world is in your hand,  
But I will fight until the end.  
_

_Angel of darkness  
Angel of darkness  
Don't follow your command,  
But I will fight and I will stand!_

The screams and hollers, the clapping and the stamping, they were probably almost as loud as the band. Yume let the grip on her microphone drop a little as she felt herself stabilising in the air, then she began to drop slowly. She let out a large sigh of relief then sang the last phrase, grinning as the room in front of her burst into even louder applause. She yelled loudly as the other three members rounded off the song,

"That was Alex C's Angel of Darkness! An amazing song from an amazing artist!" The roars of applause continued, drowning Yume out at times. She hit the ground, taking a large shaky sigh as her feet landed firmly on the stage. She looked back at her friends – who all smiled encouragingly – then turned to the audience and called loudly, back into the comfortable stride of normality, "Do you want another song?"

As the crowd cheered and called their responses, a few team members ran onto stage and began to unhook Yume from the wings and she kept on talking,

"Alright, well this time you're going to hear one of our original songs, hope that's alright by you?" She grinned, hearing the roar of approval. The men unhooked the wings and pulled the metal plate from her back, running off with it, so she announced, "Okay then, here's the song we like to call _Let the Batons Fall_!"

Suigetsu struck up the first note.

Out in the audience Amaya was jumping about as usual, having a wail of a time, but as per usual she was having so much fun she hardly noticed the trouble she was getting into. She jumped up and down, calling for her friend loudly, but then realised she'd been taken hold of and pulled backwards into the pit of raving teenagers. There was no escape. She turned round, having a sudden case of claustrophobia, and punched the first thing she could hit. Poor Naruto; he'd only just managed to find Amaya as well. He fell to the floor, clutching his nose, so Amaya called apologetically,

"Sorry, Naruto!"

She never got a reply because his body suddenly disappeared beneath the mass of teenagers.

"Oh my god, Naruto!" She went to dive forward to save his sorry butt, but found herself unable to because of how tightly packed she was. Just then, back on stage, the group broke out into the loudest and bassiest part of the song, making everyone around Amaya start to jump up and down, waving their arms about madly. Of course as luck would have it, Amaya was much smaller than most average people, so she was sent flying deeper and deeper in to the mosh-pit, screaming all the while. It was only at the centre that she finally had enough leg room to even be able to trip over and fall – which she did – so she landed hard on her back. She rubbed at her back and looked up, only to go wide-eyed and have someone's foot land straight on her fac- on no, wait. She wasn't on the floor any more. She looked round, having some wonderful person's arms wrapped around her middle, holding her safe in the madness. She grinned happily, feeling that this person was much stronger than anyone around them to be pushed around in the mass of jumping teens.

"Thank you _so _much, mate, you have no idea- _ITACHI_!"

The boy holding her around the middle nodded his head,

"You looked like you needed help."

For a moment she didn't say anything more, then her face cracked out into a goofy grin and, had Itachi not been holding her she would have been swaying on the spot.

"T-thanks."

Itachi nodded again then before Amaya knew what was going on he'd lifted her up around the middle and was pushing his way quite easily through the hoards of teenagers. Amaya didn't really know where she was going – she was with Itachi now so she didn't care – but she decided to ask any way. In response he said; manoeuvring round two teens who were head-butting each other,

"I'm taking you back to the others so we can keep an eye on you."

Inwardly Amaya was screaming and jumping for joy, outwardly Amaya was also screaming, but not jumping for joy because Itachi still had hold of her. She'd be jumping for joy if she could. Seriously. She was so busy yelling her head off that she didn't even notice Itachi smiling down at her.

Amaya was dropped to the floor when she was by the security-fence again. She was a little more left to where she'd been stood previously, but she didn't mind however, because here there were Akatsuki boys. Four of them (plus Kisame) all watching the stage fervently. She walked to stand by Tobi, who noticed her and attacked her head in a hug, then Itachi stood by her side; making sure no-one else could drag her back into the pit of no return. It was when they were both positioned quietly and when Tobi had let go of Amaya, Hidan finally noticed Itachi's return. He noticed the lack of alcohol in his hands.

"Oi, where's the beer, Itachi?"

Sasori pointed out from the other side of the silver-haired male,

"I've already told you then don't serve alcohol here."

"Fuck that!" He yelled loudly. Itachi nodded his head.

"They didn't have anything so I was coming back to tell you, when I found Amaya in the pit."

It was at this point Hidan noticed Amaya.

"Oh, hey!" He saluted her casually, grinning. She waved back. Just then, up on stage, Yume belted out the final, most powerful note she could muster. This caused an uproar of applause, which Amaya and the others join in with. Hidan threw his arm up in the air and yelled,

"You fuckin' go, Yume! At-ta girl!"

Of course making this much commotion, nearly managing to drown Tobi out, Hidan managed to attract a certain amount of attention. A large group of girls stood behind Akatsuki only seemed to realise now, with Hidan's shouting, just who they were stood behind. They screamed loudly, calling out so much it caused Sasori and Deidara to recoil, holding their ears,

"O-M-G AKATSUKI ARE HERE!" There was another pause, then an ominous call of, "O-M-G IT'S HIDAN!" This one phrase, more than any other phrase, caused all members of Akatsuki to turn and look at the girls then quickly move away from Hidan, leaving him to fend for himself. Hidan's fan-girls were known to be the most insane fan-girls of them all. He gulped. They charged. He turned. They ran. He attempted to poll-vault over the security-fence but was pushed back by the guards. He threw his hands in the air and yelled murderously,

"Are you fucking crazy! FORGET ABOUT THE BAND, SAVE M-" He was suddenly pulled backwards into the group of girls by the back of his leather jacket, disappearing somewhere in the middle. His screams seemed to ring out over the top of all the cheering.

Yume, who had finished singing moments ago and was completely oblivious to Hidan's hand flailing about in the crowd of girls, turned to the rest of the audience.

"Alright, next song is a bit different because," She turned to point her arm at Suigetsu, "Suigetsu's duetting with me!" She heard and uproar of approval again. They seemed very easily pleased these days. "I bet you didn't think he could sing, right?"

As a lot of the crowd laughed, Suigetsu walked forward, leaving his bass behind. He walked up to the front of the stage next to Yume and smirked. Two crew-members ran on stage and stood up an extra microphone, then Yume and Haku dashed off stage. Back on stage Suigetsu started to rant loudly – as he did – giving the pair time to pick up their new instruments. Yume was handed her guitar, as well as Suigetsu's, so she hooked the strap of hers over her shoulders and as she did so, Haku produced his violin.

It was his pride and joy; his Stradivarius violin. Handed down to him by his mother, and her father before her. There were only so many originals left in the world, and Haku was lucky enough to have one for his own. Suigetsu, on many occasions, had suggested he sell it as it went for £2,000,000 or more usually, but each time Haku had nearly beaten him to death – a rare sight for anyone – and announced he'd die before he sold it.

Haku picked up his bow, nodded to Yume who was waiting for him, then the two walked back onto stage. Haku stood just in front of his keyboard, and Yume walked back up to her microphone, where Suigetsu was having a pleasant conversation with the room;

"-So then I said to them 'only if I can have a slice' then I started beating the-" Yume put her hand over his microphone and laughed loudly, stamping on Suigetsu's foot for inappropriate conversations. They were _trying _to make a good impression to the world after all. She left her hand there, handed Suigetsu the other guitar, then spoke into her own microphone,

"Sorry for the wait, guys! So here's one of my favourites, and hopefully one of yours; Always Attract by YouMeAtSix!"

The room filled with cheers so Yume waited for them to quieten down, letting Suigetsu put the guitar-strap over his head and get ready, then when everyone was moderately quiet Yume looked to Suigetsu who smirked, then the pair came in at the same time, playing on their guitars gently until Suigetsu took a deep breath and sang into his microphone,

(A/N: Suigetsu _'This'. Yume '_(This)'. Both '_**This**__'_)

_'__If it hurts this much,  
Then it must be love,  
And it's a lottery,  
I can't wait to draw your name.  
Oh I'm trying to get to you,  
But time isn't on my side.  
If the truth's the worst I can do,  
then I guess that I have lied  
_

_Keeping me awake,  
It's been like this now for days.  
My heart is out at sea,  
My head all over the place.  
I'm losing sense of time,  
And everything tastes the same.  
I'll be home in a day,  
I fear that's a month too late.  
_

_That night I slept,  
On your side of the bed so,  
It was ready when you got home.  
We're like noughts and crosses in that,  
Opposites always attract.'  
_

Everyone in the room was quiet, listening in awe to a voice they'd never heard before – no one had ever expected Suigetsu to be able to sing so... nicely? Nevertheless he was; strumming the guitar as he did so. Little did Suigetsu know, this one song would collect him one of the biggest fan-girl bases known to mankind. Aah good old Haku's song choices!_  
_

_'You've taken me to the top,  
And let me fall back south.  
You've had me at the top of the pile,  
And then had me kissing the ground.  
We've heard and seen it all,  
No one's talked us out.  
The problems that have come,  
Haven't yet torn us down._

_Am I keeping you __**awake? If I am then just say**__.  
You can make your own decisions; _

_you can make your own mistakes.  
I'll live and __**let die all the promises you made,**__  
But if you lie another time, it'll be a lie that's too late.'  
_

Suigetsu grinned, looking over at Yume as she sang too; each trying to outdo the other._  
_

_'__**That night I slept,  
On your side of the bed so,  
It was ready when you got home.  
We're like noughts and crosses in that,  
Opposites always attract.'**__  
_

Yume started to pluck at her guitar strings, Suigetsu joining in when needed. They both kept looking to each other, smiling each time. From down below; where Amaya and the others stood, each and every one of the group was looking up at Yume with a smile on their face. Sasori bowed his head, looking to the floor so he could listen properly without having the distraction of Suigetsu's goofy face in front of him. He was strumming his fingers against his jeans, listening to Yume singing so powerfully.

"She's really grown, hasn't she, yeah?"

Sasori opened his eyes and looked across to his blonde friend, seeing him looking up at the stage with a nostalgic expression on his face. Sasori chuckled.

"Yeah, she has."

He thought back to when they'd first met her, when she'd stood at the front of a stage, stuttering and not knowing what to say to the audience, and then not wanting to sing when Akatsuki had come to help her, dressed in clothes that hid her and she obviously hated.

Well now... now she was stood up on the stage, grinning from ear-to-ear, wearing one of her favourite outfits from home, singing loud and happily. Sasori smiled, glad Itachi had made a stupid decision that day to go and help out someone in distress, and glad that Hidan had even pointed out the problem in the first place. His eyes flickered to the silver-haired boy (who had only just managed to escape the wrath of his fan-girls with the help of Kisame)._  
_

_'__**You always have your way,  
For now it's too soon for you to say,  
Will we be always, always?'**_

Haku, at the back of the group, began to play his violin, smiling all the while. He'd never been able to play it with such an audience before. Even if he was only playing the backing-track he was happy. He watched his two friends out in front of him, singing to their hearts' content. Kimimaro to the left of him was also having a good time it seemed. He was waiting patiently, a smile on his face, watching the two out front.

_**'You always have your way,  
For now it's too soon for you to say,  
Will we be always, always?'**_

Kimimaro joined in finally, hitting his drums as powerfully as he could; Haku doing the same to his violin to be able to try and compete with Yume and Suigetsu as they sang with grins on their faces, each trying to sing louder than the other._  
_

_'__**Oohhh**  
And __**you always have your way,  
For now it's too soon for you to say,  
Will we be always, always?**_

_You always _(always)_have your _(all your way)_way__**,  
**__For now it's too soon_(too soon)_for you to__** say,  
**__Will we be always,__** always, always?**_

_**You always have your way,  
For now it's too soon for you to say,  
Will we be always, always?**__  
__**You've had your way...**_

_**You've had your way...**_

_**You've had your way.'**_

The applause that followed resembled a thunder-clap. It was loud and powerful, but died away quickly so they could hear what the band had to say next. Suigetsu punched Yume playfully on the shoulder then took her guitar from her and ran off stage with them, Haku doing the same with the violin. As they did so, Yume called again, her grin as wide as ever,

"Whew, that was exhausting! Hope you enjoyed it, at least!" She reached up and wrapped her hands around the microphone again,

"The next song is another original!" Suigetsu and Haku reappeared, readjusting to their instruments, "This one is called _Mini Me_! Some of you might have heard this on the radio the other week!"

The applause hit up again.

oOo

It was a long concert, lasting just over an hour and a half. There had been strobe-lights, fireworks, confetti bombs, and now, finally, Yume and her friends found themselves on the last few notes of their final song 'Stand on Your Own'. Suigetsu was having a whale of a time, jumping around the stage like a maniac, ending the song with his 'awesome bass solo' as he liked to call it. Yume, Haku and Kimimaro were applauding loudly with the rest of the room.

As the last note died away the four friends moved from their respective places to the front of the stage. They stood together, looking out into the sea of faces that grinned up at them, clapping and waving and shouting their names. Yume grinned brightly, feeling Haku and Kimimaro's hands slipping into hers before they raised them above their heads to take a bow. As they bent from the waist, Yume heard Amaya calling her name and looked at her. It was only then she realised Akatsuki were in the crowd with her. If it were possible Yume's face broke into an even bigger grin. She hadn't actually expected them to be here; Itachi had mentioned they might be out at a finance meeting now, but well, here they were, grinning and shouting things at her – what they were shouting she couldn't tell; it was very loud in the crowd after all. Yume up-righted herself, bowed once more then waved at the crowd; specifically those she knew. Amaya, being Amaya, grinned when Yume waved at her then turned to the nearest person to her (Tobi) and yelled,

"Ha! Did you see that? Yume of Konoha Chibi Parade waved at me! _ME_!"

Tobi, forgetting he was friends with Yume and saw her now as the lead singer in a band, wailed loudly,

"Amaya's so lucky! Tobi wishes Yume would wave at him too! Tobi wants Yume's autograph!"

Amaya grinned,

"Too right you do!"

Deidara, next to the pair, rolled his eyes. He really did wonder why he was friends with Tobi sometimes.

Up on stage the four friends waved again, then Yume grabbed hold of her microphone and called out,

"Hope you've enjoyed the music tonight! I know I have, and I think these three have too!" The three boys grinned and nodded their heads. "Well if you did then be sure to check out our CD! It's coming out on the-" she looked at Kimimaro who whispered the right date, "-first of July!" the crowd hollered again so she wrapped it up by saying, "And of course feel free to come watch us on tour! We'll be glad for the support!"

With this said and the room in a flurry of noises again, Yume hung the microphone on its stand then, as Minato drew the curtain from the sidelines, she and the other three took another bow and waved good bye to the audience.

As soon as the curtain was down Yume's knees gave way and she ended up sat on the floor. The other three looked down at her with amused expressions on their faces.

"Having a nice time down there?" Asked Suigetsu. Yume stuck her tongue out at him then shook her head.

"Shut up! You three didn't end up in the air tonight!"

Suigetsu laughed and Kimimaro commented,

"Yes, when was that decided anyway? We didn't know it was going to happen."

Yume narrowed her eyes, glancing momentarily off-stage to where Minato was talking to Mei,

"Yeah, me neither. It was a 'last minute thing', _apparently_."

Haku smiled, leaning down to help Yume up,

"It did look really good, though. The wings looked so real."

Yume was brought back to her feet so she dusted herself off.

"Well I suppose so..." She noticed Minato approaching in the corner of her eye and raised her voice, "But I hope we're not making a habit of making me defy gravity!"

He laughed, coming up along side her and patting her on the shoulder.

"You're a good sport, Yume. Well done for tonight." He turned his attention to the four as a group. "You did absolutely brilliantly." He pointed over his shoulder, grinning, "It seems people are already asking about tour tickets. Well done."

The group smiled proudly, glad that the concert had done as intended. Yume listened through the curtain, hearing people leaving the building. As she did this, Minato reached into his pocket and retrieved four envelopes. Suigetsu's eyes lit up.

"And what are they?" He said, edging closer and bending over to try and get a better look at them. Minato laughed and Kimimaro pulled his friend away, hitting him on the shoulder for being an idiot. It was as this point Yume looked over, wondering what the fuss was over. She saw Minato grinning; it wasn't the usual mischievous smile she was used to, but a new one – one that made him seem like he was waiting to give them good news. Her eyes flickered down to the envelopes for a second, only Haku asked the question first,

"What are they, Minato?"

The older blonde grinned even wider. He held the envelopes out in a fan-shape. Now the four could see each envelope had one of their names on it.

"Take them." He said happily. They were hesitant, but Suigetsu took his first, looking between in and Minato curiously.

"And now... what is it?"

Minato handed out the other envelopes then answered, watching the other three trying to figure out what was inside,

"Just open them."

Yume held the envelope up to the light, trying to see through it. Minato laughed. "Seriously, open them. You might be happy you did."

Yume looked down from the envelope to Minato. She shrugged. She brought her arm down and held the envelope in both hands, then she proceeded to open it. At the same time the other three did the same to theirs; some a little more successful than others – Suigetsu was trying to bite his way in.

Yume opened the envelope and looked inside. There was a piece of paper. She turned the envelope upside down and paper fell into her outstretched hand. It was upside down so she scrunched up the envelope and put it in her pocket then turned the paper over. It seemed she was first to have gotten into her envelope because Minato saw it was her who started to choke first.

"W-w-what is this?" She asked, glancing up from the cheque for eight-and-a-half thousand pounds with frying-pan sized eyes. "W-why have you given us this?" She gulped, laughing nervously,

"I know you love us, but is this really necessa-"

"HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!" - Suigetsu had gotten into his letter finally. His jaw was so low it could have fallen off at any second. Minato, glad he'd received the reception he'd been expecting, waved it off,

"No, no, it's not from me," He said, laughing, "as much as I'd like to give that much money away." He saw their confused faces. "It's your payslips."

Yume looked down at the cheque for a second then back up again,

"There's got to be some mistake? Eight thousand-"

"-Don't complain, Yume!" yelled Suigetsu; the other two male band members still held in shock. Minato chuckled.

"Don't worry, Yume. It's well earned money and I think you deserve it."

"I-.. I-I-I...," She looked at Minato, a small smile spreading on her lips as she realised something, "I... won't have any more debt troubles."

Minato nodded, glad she'd seen what he'd hoped she would.

"That's right. You won't have to worry about housing both you and Amaya now. You'll have enough and more to spare."

Haku sudden shook her shoulder, grinning with sparkles in his eyes,

"We're going shopping!"

Yume laughed, eventually with the others joining in. After Minato had told them about financial issues such as 'don't spend it all at once', he asked, seeing them all in an even brighter mood than before,

"Are you willing to sign a few autographs now? It won't be many; just a few who got backstage pass-"

"-Sure!" shouted Suigetsu enthusiastically. He suddenly stuffed the cheque into his pocket, then started running off the stage; the others watching him go with mild curiosity. Did he know something they didn't? Yume looked to Haku, then Minato, who shrugged, so she laughed and shook her head, then the group decided to leave the stage for the clean-up team and followed Suigetsu off to where they'd meet these 'winners of the backstage passes'.

Suigetsu, after getting lost twice, finally decided to let Minato lead; since he actually knew where he was going and all. Suigetsu fell alongside Kimimaro and grinned, throwing his arm around his friend's shoulder.

"We're going to be super-stars in no time!"

Kimimaro smiled slightly, not bothering to push Suigetsu off this time. He was actually rather happy with the outcome of the concert – even with the unexpected flying fiasco (but as Minato said, that would only bring them more publicity).

Yume, at the back of the group with Haku, was still shaking from being up in the air. She was clinging onto Haku's shoulder as he patted her on the head, laughing.

"You won't have to do it again, Yume. It's okay."

She narrowed her eyes, hoping it would burn a hole in the back of Minato's shirt in front of her,

"That's what you think!" She turned to look at Haku with a pout, "I bet I'm going to have to do something even worse next time! Send my flying out over the audience? I don't know."

Haku stayed quiet, thinking,

"Hey, you know, maybe you're right-"

"-HAKU!" She yelled, angry that he seemed okay with the idea of her rocketing out over the audience in unstable mechanical wings. He laughed loudly, turning to look at her,

"You'd be fine anyway! The wings are one of Deidara's inventions, right? I've heard he's quite the good mechanic so you shouldn't have to worry."

Yume, after hearing the word 'Deidara', had stopped listening to the rest of the conversation and instead had started imagining a long and painful death for Akatsuki's blonde guitarist. Why? BECAUSE HE'D LET MINATO USE THAT DEATH-TRAP-INVENTION OF HIS!

As she contemplated this long and hard, Haku guided her along the corridors until they came to the door that read 'VIP Guests'. Suigetsu charged through the door first, barging past Minato, and the rest followed behind, shaking their heads at him in dismay. As soon as he was in the doorway, however, he stopped dead and his jaw dropped. Kimimaro was next in and his eyebrows raised, then Haku and Yume - followed by Minato. When Haku and Yume saw who were sat on the few large sofas around the room their eyes widened in shock. Haku backed up.

"Guys! You're here!" Yume said with a grin on her face.

"HI YUME! TOBI WANTS YOUR AUTOGRAPH!"

"Woman, that was freakin' awesome!"

Both Amaya and Tobi jumped up from their seats and charged at Yume. They accidentally tackled Haku to the floor in the process. There was a large amount of screaming.

Moments later Tobi was pulled up from the floor by Kisame and Amaya was dragged up by Temari and Sakura. When they both had Amaya under restraint (she'd had a muffin off the buffet again), they grinned down at Yume then Temari offered her her hand. Yume smiled, a little stunned, and took her hand; being pulled up in one swift movement.

Tobi was flailing about in Kisame's arms, trying to break free to go and say 'hi' to Yume. He whined loudly, causing the other four members of Akatsuki to hang their heads in shame. Tobi didn't have the excuse of having eaten a muffin; he was always like this. As Tobi continued to try and break free, Yume and the others made their way over to the sets of sofas. Although Hidan literally threw Deidara off the sofa to make a seat for Yume next to him, she decided to sit with the girls and Naruto. Instead, much to Hidan's shock and dismay, Suigetsu – seeing an empty seat next to his idol – took the opportunity and sat down next to him, grinning from ear-to-ear. Hidan sagged. Everyone settled down a little; the commotion of the band arriving having passed, so they each broke off into conversations – those of Konoha Chibi parade talking to Akatsuki whilst Yume spoke with her school friends.

"I had no idea you guys were coming!"

Sakura grinned, holding the pass up from around her neck,

"Well we weren't exactly going to pass on free backstage-passes now, were we?"

Yume raised her eyebrow, seeing the same pass around Temari, Naruto and Amaya's necks.

"How did you get those?"

"Mister Uzumaki gave us them!"

At the sound of his formal name, Minato looked round from his conversation with Sasori and smiled, waving at Naruto. The smaller blonde buried his head a little. Sakura laughed and put her arm around his shoulders.

"It helps when you're going to prom with his son."

The others girls laughed. It was at this point that Deidara's attention was drawn to Yume again, rather than Haku who had been trying to have a conversation with him. He smiled, seeing her bright face again. He was so glad that she'd used his mechanical wings up on stage. He'd made them just for her in an attempt to say sorry for nearly killing her at the swimming-pool the other day. He... he still felt guilty though. From the very beginning he'd said he'd wanted to protect her, from Hidan especially, and in the end it had turned out that that prick had gone and saved her from _hi__m_ instead. Deidara ran a hand through his hair, turning to look back at Haku, realising he'd missed what the small boy had said,

"Uh, say again, yeah?"

Back with Yume and the others, they had decided to ignore Amaya because at the moment all she was doing was calling them insulting names and was trying to throw food off the buffet at them. Yume put her arm in front of her face, blocking a piece of cucumber, and asked Naruto if he was excited for prom, only Amaya – not liking to be ignored – asked very loudly, making sure everyone could hear her,

"So, Yume, who you going to prom with then?"

The room seemed to become very quiet. Yume stuttered, feeling all eyes fall on her suddenly.

_'I'm going to kill her, I'm going to kill her.'_

_**'It's just her muffin-mode; it'll pass.'**_

_'I don't care, I'm going to kill her!'_

"We-well I- well I'm not really going with...anyone ye-"

"-GO WITH TOBI! GO WITH TOBI!"

This sudden outburst from the boy with the brunette hair caused him to hit the floor in a split second with not only Hidan's foot pressed on his face, but Deidara's foot on his back and Suigetsu's foot on his feet (because Suigetsu is an over-protective big brother who wants to keep Yume safe from idiots – or so he said later). Tobi wailed loudly, causing everyone to clutch at their ears. As he continued to do so, Amaya, slowly dropping from her muffin-mode, realised what had just happened; what she had just said, and also saw that Hidan and Deidara had their eyes locked on Yume as if waiting for her to answer some unsaid question. Absolutely not! There was no way in hell those two were going to -She yelled over Tobi's complaining,

"Sorry guys but you can't go to our prom!" This caused Tobi to shut up and the Akatsuki boys to raise their eyebrows. Amaya, seeing this, raised her hands defensively, "Sorry! Not my rules! Our school says no outsiders!" - this of course was a lie, but Amaya was still trying to protect Yume from certain idiots. This announcement of course caused a commotion from the boys of Konoha Chibi Parade. Haku said with a pout,

"But Yume said we could go."

Suigetsu glared at Amaya,

"Yeah! I was looking forward to it!"

And this caused a riot from Akatsuki,

"What the fuck are you talking about? Why are you guys going to Yume's prom and we're not? WHERE THE FUCK WAS OUR INVITATION?"

"TOBI WANTS TO GO TO PROM!"

"I heard last year was a multi-school prom, yeah! What's with the sudden change?"

As this dispute continued, Yume leant over to Amaya and patted her on the back, whispering,

"See, Amaya? What have I always said? Lying gets you into trouble."

Amaya grumbled under her breath. Yume on the other hand, seeing tempers starting to rise, raised her hands,

"Guys, guys! It's okay!" She turned to her band mates, "It's okay, you can still come, don't worry." She saw Haku's face brighten up, and Temari's from the corner of her eye. Next she turned to Akatsuki, "And would you like to come? You can if you like."

Deidara spoke up, calling over Tobi,

"We'd love to, yeah!"

Itachi spoke up, knocking those not in Akatsuki into quiet,

"We were coming anyway."

Yume tilted her head,

"Huh?"

He explained,

"We're doing the music for your prom-"

"-SAY WHAT?" - This was Amaya, Temari, Sakura, Suigetsu and Naruto all at once; their faces as bright as light-bulbs.

"It was organised by Orochimaru and your headmistress last week." He closed his eyes and crossed his arms, "We didn't want to tell you because you had to deal with your exams."

"Exams, Exshmams!" yelled Amaya, "You're performing for our prom!" She started jumping up and down again, punching at the air madly, "HELL YES!"

Yume and the others laughed. As it died away, two sets of eyes seemed to fall on Yume again. Amaya, noticing this as her feet hit the floor, decided to intervene before anything could be announced.

"So, Tobi," She said, catching the boy's attention quickly, seeing Hidan and Deidara both starting to talk to Yume, "How about you, me and Yume go to prom together? We don't have dates!"

Yume's head whipped round to stare at her friend and Hidan and Deidara's jaws dropped open. Tobi, still beneath the boys' feet, started to yell again, this time in happiness,

"TOBI WILL! TOBI WILL! TOBI WIIIILLL-" Hidan pressed his foot down harder, causing Tobi to start to scream again. He looked between Amaya and Yume with his jaw still dropped.

"What the fuck! You can't just ask for other people!"

Amaya crossed her arms, a smirk on her face,

"I'll think you'll find I just did, dear chap."

Hidan's eyes narrowed. He stepped off Tobi, towards Amaya. She stepped forward, not intimidated by the maroon-eyed prick. Deidara, seeing things about to kick off, turned to Yume and asked – trying to calm things down as Sasori had taught him,

"Yume, do you actually want to go to prom with Tobi, yeah?"

At this, Hidan stopped marching towards Amaya with murder in his eyes and flicked his head to look at Yume; listening to what she had to say. She shuffled about in her seat, looking between Hidan, Deidara, Amaya and Tobi. She looked to Amaya again, who gave her the look that only ever meant 'say yes or I'll kick your sorry butt to China'.

"Y-yes."

"WHAT!"

"Why, yeah?"

Yume looked to Amaya again, whose eyes flickered between Hidan and Deidara, so she finally understood. She sighed, a smile creeping its way onto her face.

_**'**__Ohh, Tobi's the scape-goat!'_

_**'Good thinking, Amaya!'**_

"I want to go with Tobi because he's my friend and we can have a laugh!" Tobi perked up at this, finally able to scramble up from the floor because Deidara and Suigetsu had removed their feet. Yume pointed out, seeing Hidan and Deidara's rage-stricken faces, "And anyway, I don't know what you two are complaining about. He's the only one who's – sort of – ask me to prom. No one else asked me."

At this the two seemed to recoil, realising they'd both known about the prom for more than a month and neither had pulled up the courage to ask her yet. It was their own fault - serves them right. Amaya clapped her hands together, as if finalising the point,

"Alright, Tobi! Me, you and Yume are going to prom together!"

Tobi jumped up, clapping happily – and then he was tackled roughly to the floor by Deidara and Hidan. As the three fought on the floor, Amaya laughed, stepped over their bodies then took the seat between Itachi and Sasori where Tobi had been sat earlier.

Lifting their feet occasionally to let Tobi, Deidara and Hidan roll underneath them, the rest of the group managed to continue being civil and had a nice conversation. Haku spoke up, directing his words towards Naruto,

"So what are we expected to wear, exactly?"

Naruto looked at him blankly, not having thought about it before, then turned to Sakura – the decision maker. She rolled her eyes then looked to Haku, shoving Naruto out of the way,

"Just make sure it's a shirt and tie and you'll be fine."

Haku bowed his head, smiling at her,

"Alright. Thank you, Sakura." He paused, then asked, "And what are you wearing?"

Sakura smirked, tapping the side of her nose,

"It's a secret."

Yume laughed, pointing at Amaya,

"You're almost as bad as her! I have no _idea_ what her dress is like."

Amaya grinned devilishly.

"And it's going to be the best kept secret ever!" She jumped up, just-in-so missing falling onto the three on the floor, "The unveiling will be legendary!"

As the rest of them laughed, Temari looked to Yume with her eyebrows furrowed.

"You know, Yume, I don't think I've seen your dress either. What does it look like?"

"Oh, umm..." Yume, like the others, wanted to make her prom-dress a big surprise for the night. This, Temari picked up on.

"Oh come on guys, this is ridiculous! It's like you're part of MI5 or something!" She leant forward, counting on her fingers, "My dress is red, it's short, it's got a tutu bottom, the top half is a corset. Now was that so hard?"

As the others tried to picture the dress in their heads, Kimimaro commented, nodding his head,

"Red will look nice with your hair."

Temari suddenly turned away from him – hiding the fact her face had just gone the same colour as her dress. Yume, Haku and Suigetsu's mouths had dropped open – Kimimaro _never_ complimented girls. Sakura and Amaya laughed, seeing her reaction, whereas Naruto asked dumbly,

"What's wrong with you, Temari? Whys your face gone all red?"

She rounded on him, her fists raised,

"Naruto shut up!" She yelled, slamming her fists down together; barely missing Naruto's knees. He yelled loudly and jumped up,

"Temari, what are you doing!"

Sakura laughed, watching Temari begin to chase Naruto round the room for not understanding girls' emotions. Afterwards she turned to the others,

"Well, prom should be a surprise for all of us then!"

Yume smiled, leaning back on the sofa.

"Definitely."

The next hour was spent with the group of fifteen socialising and laughing; taking time off from their normally busy schedules (well, not so much Amaya and the others) to enjoy each others' company. Once the boys on the floor had stopped fighting, Yume had rounded on Deidara finally; wanting to kill him as planned, only Amaya held her back, laughing madly at Deidara's terrified expression. After all this was said and done, and after Minato had confirmed a deal with Akatsuki for the two bands to do a compilation single (the whole reason he'd invited them backstage in the first place), everyone decided to call it a night. Amaya had to stay behind because she was with Yume and Yume was helping to clear up, but the rest of her school friends said goodbye then Minato offered to give them a lift home in his limousine. Yume had never seen them move so fast.

Those from Akatsuki decided to stay a little longer to help out; and give Deidara enough time to go and retrieve his wings, and then they too left – not without nearly suffocating Yume in a hug each though; even Itachi.

Yume waved them off from the front of the concert hall; ignoring the flashing cameras, and then when the black limo had disappeared out of sight she turned and walked back inside, broom in hand. She sighed, a small smile on her lips. The big concerts were over for now; so were exams and the big publicity events. Now all that was left to do before the world-tour was prom.

* * *

_So close to finishing now it's not even funny... (starts crying)_

_Deidara__: Aah, Sarah, you knew this was coming, yeah! Don't get all cry-baby now!_

_Me__: (D:) Deidara, you're so heartless! (Turns to readers): okay! Hope you enjoyed! Please please _**PLEASE **_review! I massively want to get to 100 before I finish... please? (Offers bag of cookies)_

_Deidara__: Do it or she'll probably hunt you down... or send abuse via her profile. I'd do it, seriously, yeah!_

_Me__: (Smiles innocently) ...- OKAY! Next (and final 2) chapters are out 22nd July (hopefully (fingers crossed))!_

_X-Deidara's Lover-X_


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Akatsuki or anyone else from Naruto!

Claimer: Yume and Amaya belong to me, please don't use them yourself.

Me: 22,000 words... GOOD LUCK! Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 21

Yume twisted in her seat - a flower-clip in one hand - when she heard loud knocking at her bedroom door,

"What is it, Amaya?" She asked, twisting the flower in her hand. The voice on the other side of the door yelled, sounding as if in a rush,

"Have you got any hairspray?"

Yume looked on her dressing-table, seeing the aerosol-can in question.

"Yes," She called back, grinning. Now she finally had Amaya. "But you'll have to come and get it!"

The voice on the other side of the door suddenly flew into anger,

"But you'll see my dress! No way!"

"Well then you're not getting the hairspray! I'm busy!"

"DAMN YOU, WOMAN!"

Yume laughed, hearing Amaya bang her fist against the door, then she heard her friend disappearing down the corridor again. When the footsteps had disappeared Yume turned back to her mirror and returned to clipping the light blue flower into her hair. She'd decided that tonight it was all she'd wear in her hair. No bobbles, no ties, just a flower to stop her fringe from dropping in front of her eyes.

She smiled and pulled herself up from her seat, picking up her hairbrush. As she ran it through her hair she walked towards her full-length mirror, staring almost lovingly at her dress. The light-blue sequins on the top of the corset sparkled in the little light of her room. She knew they would only draw eyes to her collar-bones so she had to find a necklace that would fit the part. She looked down at her dressing-table and saw the heart-necklace from Hidan, but she knew it wouldn't look right. It was too big. She thought for a moment then walked round to her shelves, dropping her brush on her bed, and pulled out an old and very, _very_ dusty black box. After blowing off the cobwebs she set the box down on her bed and opened the lid. In the box was one single necklace - a blue tear-drop. It was the necklace given to her eight years ago on Valentine's day by a tiny boy from her class. The necklace that had caused such a fuss; caused her parents to finally snap. Changed her life. She'd never worn it once, but now it seemed almost silly not to. It was such a pretty necklace and it deserved to be worn. It had done nothing to her personally so why should she refuse it now?

Yume picked the necklace up out of the box and walked around to her mirror, where she watched herself put the necklace on and clip it together, letting it drop between her collar-bones. Seeing it around her neck she smiled. She should have worn it before now; it did look nice.

Yume ran the brush through her hair again, touched up the make-up on her face, put the eye-liner pencil and mascara into her silver clutch-bag and pulled out her silver heels. As she slipped them onto her feet she heard Amaya outside her door again.

"Yume, come on! Give me the hairspray!"

Yume sighed, tightening up one of her shoes,

"Alright, alright, but you're going to have to let me see the dress!"

There was another pause from outside – in which Yume did up her other shoe – then she heard an almighty sigh, then Amaya said in defeat,

"Fine!"

Before Yume could even walk towards her dressing-table, her bedroom door was thrown open, crashing loudly against the wall. In the doorway stood Amaya. Yume's jaw dropped.

"Wow, Amaya, you look," Amaya raised an eyebrow, her hair held up in one hand, "Great!"

Amaya perked up at this, grinning.

"Thanks, though I didn't need telling that. I already knew I was awesome."

Yume rolled her eyes, stepping aside for Amaya to walk into her room.

"Sometimes you don't half remind me of Suigetsu, Amaya."

Amaya waved her free hand about,

"Pah! I'm way better than that blue-haired baboon and you know it."

As Amaya walked across Yume's room to pick up the hairspray, Yume got a look at the back Amaya's dress. She laughed,

"Oh, I see what you mean by modifications now."

Amaya looked over her shoulder and grinned.

"Great, right?"

Yume nodded her head, laughing.

"Absolutely."

Amaya was stood wearing a short dark-purple dress, the bottom half made from layers of tulle that fell to just above her knees, and the top half being a corset with straps that lay off the shoulders. On the back of the dress, in the part where the skirt and the corset were attached together, Amaya had sewn what could only be described as Barney the Dinosaur's tail into place. It was as purple as the dress, and the spikes were a lighter shade of purple, to match her high stiletto platforms.

She picked up the hairspray and let go of her hair, bunching it up in her hands before setting it with the spray. Yume had to evacuate quickly – Amaya wasn't stingy with hairspray after all. As she slammed the bedroom door behind her, she felt her clutch-bag begin to vibrate. A moment later there was a loud car-horn from outside. Yume's heart started to pound. It was finally time. Had she not been wearing a dress and high-heels she would have been jumping for joy. She banged on her bedroom door,

"Amaya! Amaya! The limo's here! We've got to go! Prom is a-waiting!"

Amaya opened the door from the other side with her eyebrow raised.

"Well you're certainly excited."

Yume rolled her eyes, grabbing hold of Amaya's arm and turning to run along the corridor,

"I know you are secretly too!" She started running, "Have you got all your things?"

Amaya lifted her purple clutch-bag.

"Yup."

"Great! Let's get going!"

Yume charged down the staircase - miraculously managing to avoid tripping and dying on her way down, pulling Amaya with her – grabbed the front door key, flicked the main-hall light off, nearly threw Amaya out the front door, jumped out herself then locked up.

Once she'd finished she turned to see Amaya stood in front of her with her arms crossed.

"Calm down, woman, it's only prom!"

Yume shook her head, daydream-sparkles filling her eyes,

"But it's going to be so wonderful! Like a ball for royalty!"

Amaya looked over her own shoulder at her tail, then back to Yume with an eyebrow raised,

"You sure we're going to the same thing, here?"

Amaya laughed, noticing that Yume was completely ignoring her, took her by the hand and led the dream-struck girl down the garden path to where the large white limousine was waiting for them. She banged on the front window, yelling,

"Oi! Let us in!"

The window rolled down, revealing Kotetsu looking slightly surprised,

"Um, might I ask who you are first?"

She rolled her eyes,

"Amaya. I'm this one's friend-" She grabbed hold of Yume and shoved her in view of Kotetsu. "- Are you going to let us in now?"

He nodded his head, amused by Amaya's forwardness, and pressed the button that opened the back doors. Amaya, seeing this, nodded her head approvingly then pulled Yume to the back of the limo where they both got inside, shut the door then sat down. Kotetsu wound down the screen and called back,

"I'll have you two there in a jiffy!" He tilted his hat slightly, smiling, "And might I say you look lovely tonight."

Amaya grinned, waving at him,

"Thanks!"

Yume smiled brightly, watching Kotetsu wind up the screen again, leaving the two in peace. A moment later the engine roared and the limousine set off towards Yume and Amaya's school. Yes, it was only just down the road, but Minato had insisted the pair – well, more Yume – arrive in style. It was nice of him, Yume had to admit, for him to lend them his personal limousine for the night. He'd said it was a way of him making up for not being able to attend the prom – he had a large business meeting to attend instead. Yume didn't mind too much. She'd gotten a large, fancy, comfortable limousine out of it. She couldn't complain.

A short while later the limousine pulled up at the the school-gates and Kotetsu wound the screen down again,

"Have a lovely evening, ladies. I'll be parked just round the corner so come and find me when you're done."

Amaya nodded, waved, then dived for the door out, whereas Yume called to him,

"Thanks Kotetsu!" She made her way towards the exit, then with her hand on the door she said, "You never complain about driving me everywhere so... well, thank you."

He smiled again, tipping his hat.

"No problem, Miss Chiles."

With this, Yume nodded and stepped out of the limo, landing on the pavement outside. In an instant there were camera flashes everywhere. Yume rolled her eyes, looking to Amaya. The raven-haired girl raised a fist,

"Want me to get rid of them?"

Yume shook her head for once, smiling,

"Nah, let them do it. It's not like they can get a story from this anyway."

Amaya paused for a second then shrugged, dropping her hand,

"Yeah, I guess you're-"

"YUME! AMAYA!"

Both girls turned, seeing a figure running towards them at an alarming speed. Oh great. What was the betting he'd had sugar? Amaya stepped in front of Yume, putting her arm out to catch Tobi just in time before he managed to throw his arms around Yume's neck, undoubtedly sending both of them crashing to the floor. He backed up from Amaya, holding his stomach slightly where he'd run into her arm.

"That wasn't very nice, Amaya! Tobi only wanted a hug from his prom-dates!"

Amaya looked at him with an eyebrow raised, then she did something both Yume and Tobi had not been expecting. She grinned, stepped forward and hugged him. Yume's jaw dropped open. Tobi's eyes lit up. He grinned childishly and wrapped his own arms around Amaya, hugging her quite tightly but not enough to suffocate her because even he knew he could only push Amaya so far. Yume grinned, seeing her friend looking so happy,

"What's gotten into you?"

Amaya smiled back, winking,

"It's prom."

Yume laughed, glad Amaya was finally getting into the spirit. Yume decided to step forward too, hugging Tobi in turn – who seemed more than happy. He finally had people who were willing to hug him! HALLELUJAH!

After a moment the pair pulled back. Amaya said, looking around curiously; ignoring the still-flashing cameras,

"So where are the others?"

Tobi grinned and pointed over his shoulder to the school building – from which loud music was being played,

"Inside! Tobi was allowed out to come and get his prom-dates!"

Yume raised an eyebrow.

"But you're the drummer. Don't they need you?"

He shook his head.

"We stole Kimimaro."

This caused Yume to laugh; imagining Kimimaro's face as he played drummer in his all-time favourite band. Suigetsu would be seething with jealousy, no doubt.

Amaya, finally beginning to get aggravated with the cameras now, decided to usher the other two along, taking hold of Tobi's hand to pull him. In turn he grabbed Yume's hand, then the three walked along, past the rows of rose-bushes and headed into the grounds, making their way to the main hall.

Once inside, it was easy enough to figure out where they were going – they just had to follow the sound of the music, or follow the bustle of people, take your pick. The three linked arms along the way; Tobi in the middle and the girls on the side. It did take both Tobi and Yume all their strengths to stop themselves skipping along, singing with giddiness.

They arrived at the main-hall's doorway where they were stopped by people asking for tickets. Amaya and Yume handed their tickets in, and after a short while of having to explain Tobi was Tobi – because no one usually saw him without his concert mask on – the three were allowed to go in. As soon as Yume opened the door a crack, the sound of music hit them like a wall. They walked inside and Yume and Amaya's mouths grew into Cheshire-cat grins.

The hall in front of the them – usually the boring old assembly hall – had been renovated into a dance hall. Tables and chairs had been set out around the edges of the room, the curtains had been drawn and decorated with balloons, the middle of the room had been taken for dancing; there was a large glitter-ball above, and at the far side of the room the stage – usually used for showing Tsunade's authority during assemblies – had been transformed with the aid of the band and their instruments into a performance stage. On it, the members of Akatsuki (plus Kimimaro) were performing one of their songs, loud and as energetically as ever.

The three stood watching from the doorway for a short while, then Yume looked away and spotted a group of her friends sat not too far away around a table. She tugged on Tobi's suit-sleeve, then pointed at her friends,

"I'm going over there, okay?"

Tobi nodded his head then said, not wanting to go back on stage yet,

"Tobi'll come too!"

Yume smiled and unhooked herself from Tobi's arm, then started to make her way across to her friends – Tobi and Amaya following behind. When she arrived at the table a few people looked up and a couple of jaws dropped.

"You're wearing your hair down!" exclaimed Sakura, "I told you it would look good!"

Yume twisted a strand of hair through her fingers.

"Yes, yes, thank you."

"I love your dress!" yelled Temari, grabbing hold of Yume to pull her into the seat next to her. Yume laughed, landing a little clumsily, then said over the music,

"If you think mine's good you should see Amaya's!"

At this the table looked up at Tobi and Amaya. As if to put her as the centre of attention, Tobi grabbed her by the shoulders and put her in front of him so they could see her. She grinned and did a 360-turn. Sakura's jaw dropped.

"Hell yes! Was that a dinosaur tail?"

"You bet it was!" She turned again, letting the others get a better look at it. As she did this, Yume looked at Tobi, wanting to ask if he wanted to sit down for a while, only she noticed him looking off into the room. She followed his gaze, landing her eyes onto a table close to the other side of the room. At it sat Neji, Hinata, Tenten and Lee – Lee, in his lime green suit. Oh boy. For a moment she wondered what Tobi was staring at, but then she noticed Hinata look over and almost instantly Tobi looked away, down at the floor.

_'Well I never...'_

_**'When did those two meet?'**_

Yume smiled and moved over towards Temari, freeing up the seat for Tobi to take.

"Tobi, sit down! You'll want to rest before you get back on stage!"

He nodded his head rapidly, his grin fixed in place, then he took the seat next to Yume and hugged her tightly. She laughed, only half-heartedly trying to push him off. Same old Tobi.

Just then the music ended and Hidan – in a black suit and loose red tie - started talking into the microphone, only a moment later he was literally kicked out of the way by the headmistress, Tsunade. A couple of the girls in the room ran over to see if he was okay whilst Tsunade took hold of the microphone and said loudly, looking out into the room,

"Well students, it's here at last. The end of school life for you!" She tossed her head, sending her pigtails over her shoulders, "We've had a really great year, and we're expecting your exam results to be excellent thanks to our staff, and of course to you. You who have put in the effort to study and come in to school every day to learn what you need for the future." She looked around briefly, trying to spot someone, but when she didn't her shoulders sagged, "Mister Hatake was supposed to be here to say a few words to you tonight, but of course as usual he's late-"

"-WOO! GO KAKASHI!" Yelled Naruto, jumping up energetically. "DON'T EVER CHANGE!"

This caused a roar of applause from Kakashi's form dotted all around the room, not in the least Amaya. She stood up, jumping up and down as much as Naruto and cheered loudly. Tsunade cleared her throat,

"Yes, thank you for that Naruto." She smiled, clapping her hands together, "Well I'll say it instead: We've enjoyed teaching you for the past five years and wish you the best of luck with the rest of your lives. We hope that you take what you've learned into the future with you, and hope for you success." She dropped her hands then somehow pulled a wine-glass from her pocket, "Well now that's out of the way, I declare this leaving prom officially under way!"

The room cheered again.

Once Tsunade had left the stage, Akatsuki set about performing their next song. Before they started however, Hidan looked out into the audience, trying to spot their drummer. Tobi, noticing, dived down under the table by Yume's feet. She looked down, laughing at him,

"Tobi, what are you doing?"

He whined – quietly though, so as not to draw too much attention to himself,

"Tobi doesn't want to go back up on stage yet! Tobi wants to enjoy the party first!"

She laughed, leaning down to pat him on the head.

"Oh okay."

Hidan, looking frantically but unable to spot Tobi, gave in and rolled his eyes, telling Kimimaro he'd just have to hold on for a little longer and help them out. Kimimaro didn't protest.

Akatsuki powered into their next song, Hidan singing as the others played on their instruments. It wasn't a heavy song; people could actually dance to it, so that's what they did. Couples from all around the room started to get up to dance – notably Neji and Tenten, and Sasuke and Kimiko. Yes, Sasuke and Kimiko were dating officially. Amaya's two worst enemies (excluding Ino) had joined forces. Though, Yume had to admit (since Amaya point blank wouldn't), they did look cute together; Kimiko pulling Sasuke about the floor as he tried to look cool in front of the others.

Tobi crept up from under the table eventually, seeing he'd avoided having to play another song for a while. He took the seat next to Yume and sat there with his hands between his knees, looking out onto the dance-floor dreamily. Yume, who had just been talking to Sakura, looked at him, noticing he'd gone quiet.

"Are you okay, Tobi?"

He looked back suddenly, his eyes wide as if he'd just been caught with his hand in the cookie-jar. He nodded his head, a grin quickly spreading on to his face.

"Tobi's super! Thanks for asking!"

Yume smiled, rolling her eyes. She'd seen where Tobi's eyes had been looking. Some prom date he was! Couldn't even keep his eyes on the right girl.

_'Aww, how cute!'_

_**'Let's set 'em up!'**_

_'We don't even know if Hinata likes him.'_

_**'Oh please, listen to yourself! Hinata's as big a fan of Akatsuki as you or Amaya!'**_

_'Good point...'_

Yume snapped from her thoughts, and even then she noticed Tobi's eyes had fallen back to the girl in the lilac dress. She smiled and leant forward, placing her hand on Tobi's leg. He looked back at her again, his grin as big as ever.

"Yume!" He dived sideways, throwing his arms around Yume, almost tipping her off the seat onto Temari. The girl in her red dress looked down with her eyebrow raised and a smirk on her face,

"Oh, sorry, am I interrupting something?"

Yume laughed, looking at the upside-down version of Temari,

"Oh, no! No, no, it's fine!"

She managed to pull herself up again and pull Tobi off her, then she said quietly so that only he could hear,

"Hey Tobi?" He nodded his head. "Do you like Hinata?"

Tobi's eyes flew wide and he shook his head rapidly, scrunching his face up.

"No, no! Tobi doesn't know Hinata! Tobi's never met Hinata before!"

Yume smiled and poked his cheek playfully,

"Then how come your face has gone all red, hmm?"

Tobi shot his hands up to try and cover his face, shaking his head again.

"Noooooo, Tobi doesn't know Hinata! Girls are icky!"

Yume laughed loudly, seeing Tobi acting like a child, then she pulled his hands away from his face,

"Tobi, it's okay, you can like her. She's a really nice girl."

Tobi looked at Yume unsurely for a moment, then he looked over his shoulder to where Hinata was sitting, then back at Yume. He had a small smile on his face. Yume grinned and patted him on the head.

"So how did you two meet?"

Tobi's face broke into a grin again.

"It was when Tobi was helping Yume and her pineapple-haired friend find the treasure..."

-(Flashback)-

_Tobi was running flat out, the map in his hand. He was running along the school field, searching for the right marker. He had no idea where he was. He was lost. Tobi couldn't read maps. This was bound to fail from the start._

_Tobi stopped suddenly, having confused himself completely. He had no idea where he was on the map, but in real life he found himself stood by a tall rugby-post overlooking a large banking. He tried finding this spot on the map - having no idea he was holding the map upside down. He looked around again, trying to see if there were any markers in sight._

_He slumped suddenly, realising he was never going to find the treasure now. He'd never be first back. He bawled up his hands, a pout on his lips. He really wanted to find the treasure – he'd wanted prove to Deidara that he could do something right. He hung his head shamefully._

_Just then a small, quiet voice said from behind him,_

"_E-excuse me. A-are you okay?"_

_He looked round, seeing a girl with long blue hair staring up at him with large opal eyes. She was wearing the same outfit he'd seen Yume wearing just before, and had a map just like he was holding so...- He scratched the back of his head nervously, holding his map out._

"_Umm, Tobi's lost. It's okay though! Tobi will figure it out soon enough!" He looked down at his map again, twisting it this way and that, trying to figure out which way up it went. The girl watched him again for a moment, looking back at her partner who had just shown up from the bottom of the banking, then back to Tobi._

"_U-umm, would you like some- some help?"_

_Tobi stopped his frantic map-turning and looked up, surprised. No one had ever offered him help before. The girl's partner said from beside her, having backed up slightly after realising who she was talking to,_

"_Hinata, we do not have time for this. We have our own markers to find."_

_She looked back at her partner with a small smile on her lips._

"_It's okay Neji. I don't mind." She turned and handed him the map and compass. "You can complete it w-without me. I-I'll stay and help... umm..." She looked back at the boy, glad that he spoke in third person, "Tobi."_

_At this, Tobi perked up, a wide grin spreading out over his face again. Neji on the other hand, took a step back. This was the boy who had chased him round his old band's rehearsal-hall a few months a go for ten minutes straight. He looked between Tobi and Hinata a few times, then not wanting to set the crazy-boy off again, he bowed his head and said to Hinata, _

"_Alright. Catch up to me when you can."_

_Hinata smiled, bowing too,_

"_O-okay. See you soon, Neji."_

_Neji was out of sight faster than a speeding bullet. Once he'd gone, Hinata turned to Tobi and smiled softly._

"_S-so... would you like me to show you where to go?"_

_Tobi nodded his head rapidly, holding the map out for her. She took it from him, looked at it then started laughing loudly, only she stopped a moment later with her face as red as a tomato._

"_S-sorry, that was rude of me."_

_Tobi tilted his head, wondering what had made her laugh._

"_Did Tobi do something?"_

_Hinata shook her head, holding the map out to show Tobi helpfully. Tobi looked over her shoulder so she pointed to the map._

"_Your marker is here," then she moved her finger to point to the other end of the map, "And you're here."_

_Tobi sagged again, his head accidentally crashing against Hinata's shoulder. He was too busy moping to realise Hinata's face had turned beet-red again. She stuttered, turning to look away from him,_

"_I-I can help you get to the rest of the markers i-if you like? M-my partner will be fine without me."_

_Tobi lifted his head up and bounded round to stand in front of Hinata._

"_Really!" He took hold of Hinata's hands and jumped up and down excitedly. "YEAH! TOBI AND __HINATA CAN FIND THE TREASURE TOGETHER!"_

_Hinata laughed, knowing her face was as red as a tomato but she didn't care, seeing she'd made someone so happy._

"_S-sure!"_

_Tobi took hold of Hinata's hand and started to pull her along, asking loudly as he ran,_

"_Which way?"_

_Hinata laughed again after looking at the map,_

"_The other way!"_

_Tobi skidded to a halt, laughed nervously, then started to charge in the opposite direction, pulling Hinata along behind him._

-(Flashback end)-

Once he'd finished the story of his encounter with Hinata, not only Yume, but Temari, Sakura and Amaya were all sat watching him with large puppy-dog eyes, cooing over the tale. Tobi noticed and grinned.

"And that's how Tobi met Hinata!"

Yume went to say something, only Temari leant over her, putting her hands on the table and said,

"You have to ask her to dance!"

Tobi's eyes shot wide again.

"No no no! Tobi could never do that! Hinata's with the one with the eyebrows!"

Everybody looked over to Lee in his lime green suit. He noticed and looked at them all, throwing his thumb up, grinning. Amaya snickered. Yume said – trapped below Temari,

"No, Lee's not her prom-date. He told me he wasn't going with anyone when he was-..." She cut herself off, remembering Lee had asked her not to say anything about his hairdressing job yet. She shook her head, correcting herself and said, "He told me."

Sakura clapped her hands, grinning,

"There you go then! Go and ask her to dance!"

Tobi shook his head one more time,

"There's no point! The song's nearly over!"

As if on queue, up on stage Hidan sang the last note of the song, leaving the rest of the band to do the instrumental outtro. Amaya shook her head, waving it off,

"So? Dance with her in the next song!"

"Tobi has to get back up on stage now!"

Temari laughed, patting him on the shoulder,

"I'm sure they'll understand." She pointed to the white-haired boy on drums at the back of the stage, "Kimimaro's got it covered for now anyway!"

The song came to an end and the room clapped, cheering the band on. Hidan took a small bow then looked about the room again. Automatically the four girls grabbed hold of Tobi and threw him down under the table, muffling his yelp of surprise.

Up on stage, Hidan looked about, sighed, looked back at the others and shrugged. He turned back to the microphone,

"Hey guys! Has anyone seen our drummer recently? I think Kimimaro's arms are gonna' drop off soon!"

A group of girls' voices called from the other side of the room,

"HE'S NOT HERE!"

Hidan raised an eyebrow, unable to see who had yelled because of the lighting. He laughed, replying,

"Okay, jeez. I only asked!" He looked back at Kimimaro, putting his hand over the microphone, "You good for one more song?"

Kimimaro nodded – not about to say no to him. Hidan grinned, turned, had a quick image of what he was going to do to Tobi when he found him (since he had been on thin ice in the first place for going to prom with Yume), then threw his hand up, indicating for Sasori to start on the keyboard.

As the next song started up, couples started to dance again and the girls pulled Tobi up from the floor. Amaya grinned, seeing Tobi's confused expression,

"You can thank us later."

Tobi shook himself from his daze, then nodded. He didn't say anything after this so the girls looked between one another, then Yume sighed, realising she'd have to do it. She took hold of Tobi's hand, then when the others had moved out of the way she pulled him up from his seat. She smiled,

"Let's go say hi to Hinata!"

For a moment Tobi stayed quiet, then his eyes lit up.

"Okay~!"

Yume nodded happily, then she looked over her shoulder at the girls,

"Well I'll see you in a minute!"

They grinned.

Yume tightened her hold on Tobi's hand; determined not to lose him before they'd reached Hinata's table, and pulled him through the large crowds of people dancing. They reappeared on the other side moments later – accidentally having bumped into three different people along the way. They pulled up along side Hinata's table and saw her looking off into the crowd of dancers. Lee spotted the pair first.

"Yume! Why hello there! What a pleasure it is to see you tonight, and might I say how lovely you look."

She smiled, waving with her free hand,

"Hi Lee! Thanks." Her smile cracked into a grin slightly, "Nice suit."

He beamed, lifting his chin up in pride.

"Thank you." He looked at her and Tobi curiously, "Now why are you visiting our table tonig-"

Yume put her finger to her lips, motioning Lee to be quiet, then she pointed at Hinata, then nudged her head towards Tobi. Lee took a moment, but when he understood he grinned again; the sheen ever-blinding, then got up, deciding he'd give them some time to themselves.

"Say no more."

Yume watched him go, smiled gratefully, then decided to attract Hinata's attention. She cleared her throat then said with a bright grin,

"Hey, Hinata."

The girl looked up at her friend, only just realising she was stood there.

"O-oh, hello Yume, sorry I-I didn't see you there..."

Yume giggled, waving it off.

"That's okay." She gripped hold of Tobi's hand, seeing Hinata start to look at her curiously. She pulled the boy so he was definitely in Hinata's view – knowing he was because she'd turned red again – then she said,

"Hinata, this is Tobi."

Hinata looked up at him, then back to her hands fidgeting with the dress, then back again, smiling,

"H-hello, T-Tobi."

He grinned, waving with his free hand.

"Hi, Hinata!"

She blushed again, smiling at how happy he seemed. Yume stopped herself from acting like usual Tobi; tackling Hinata off her chair because of how cute she was acting, and instead she said politely,

"Tobi would like to ask you something, Hinata." She looked to Tobi, waiting, but he turned shy. Yume rolled her eyes. She shoved Tobi forward slightly, making him bump against the table, so he backed up and said, fidgeting with his fingers,

"W-would Hinata like to...to..." Yume nudged him in the back, "dance with Tobi?"

Hinata looked up, her large opal eyes looking surprisingly at Tobi's auburn ones. She stuttered frantically, not having been expecting it. After a moment she calmed down, the red still covering her face, and said quietly, a smile creeping onto her lips,

"Y-yes. I-I-I'd love to."

From behind Tobi's back, after hearing the reply, Yume turned to the table of her friends and gave them a thumbs up, causing Amaya to punch the air. Back with Tobi and Hinata, Yume appeared and said, patting Tobi on the shoulders,

"Have fun you two. If you need anything, we're just over there."

It was at this point Hinata realised what she was doing. She shook her head suddenly,

"Oh n-no, Yume, Tobi's your date, I just realised. I-I can't take him off you."

Yume smiled, waving her hands about,

"Aah, don't be silly, Hinata. Tobi's all yours." She smiled reassuringly, seeing Hinata's doubtful face, "Seriously. I'm fine."

After another moment Hinata nodded her head, smiling,

"Well alright, i-if you're sure."

Yume nodded, smiling joyfully. She patted Tobi on the shoulders one last time, then said finally,

"Alright, well I'll see you two later then."

With this she turned and made her way back to her friends, whereas Tobi offered his hand to Hinata and helped her up, then guided her onto the dance-floor – purposefully stopping himself from jumping about and acting like an idiot. He wanted to make a good impression.

Yume reappeared at her own table, pointing over her shoulder at the pair now on the dance-floor,

"Mission accomplished!"

The other girls grinned, and Amaya laughed,

"Oh great, well there goes our date!"

Yume laughed,

"Ah well! I think he's better off with her than us anyway."

Amaya grinned slyly.

"Ah, I don't know," she reached down under the table, taking hold of her clutch-bag, "I'm upset actually. So upset that..." She opened the bag and pulled something from it, holding it up to show the others, "I might just have to drown my sorrows."

Yume slapped her forehead and the others laughed. Amaya was holding a small bottle of some unknown, more than likely ridiculously alcoholic, substance. Oh of course. There was always one at the prom determined to get everyone else drunk. Trust Yume to be best friends with her of course.

Amaya wiggled her eyebrows, scraping her chair back across the floor as she stood up,

"Well don't mind me, I'll see you lot in a bit!" She turned, accidentally smacking Naruto in the face with her tail, then she walked towards the buffet – where the punch bowl was sitting. After this, Sakura turned on Naruto, seeing him rubbing his nose where he'd been hit and said, not wanting to be like the rest of her forever-alone friends,

"Hey Naruto, do you want to go dance?"

He dropped his hands suddenly, a grin plastered on his face,

"Seriously?" She nodded. He jumped up from his seat, grabbing hold of her hand faster than she could turn to look at the other girls. "YES! BELIEVE IT! LET'S GET GOING!"

Sakura passed the others an 'ah well, he's an idiot but I love him' look, then was dragged off by Naruto onto the dance-floor. Once she was gone and it was only Temari and Yume sat at the table, Temari laughed and put her feet up, looking at the others dancing, then picked up her glass of orange-juice.

"Ah well, two forever-alone friends again, 'ey Yume?" She took a sip from her drink and at the same time Yume laughed, crossing her legs.

"Yeah, looks like it." She sat back, resting against the chair, then looked at Temari with a question on her lips, "So how come you never asked Kimimaro to prom in the end? You knew he was coming."

The drink that had been in Temari's mouth suddenly sprayed out over the table. She looked at Yume with wide-eyes, wiping at her mouth.

"What are you talking about! Me and Kimimaro, are you crazy!"

Yume chuckled. Temari wasn't pulling the wool over anybodies eyes. Why was everyone so uptight about admitting they liked people anyway?

"Temari, you know I'm right."

Temari kept the shocked expression in place for a minute, then she dropped it and smirked.

"Ah fine." She took another sip of her drink, "Was it that obvious?"

Yume laughed,

"Only from the time you yelled at me for going out for a meal with him."

She laughed nervously, remembering back to that day.

"Ah, oops."

Yume watched her drinking again then said,

"So you never answered my question, how come you never asked him?"

The girl with her hair in bunches shook her head,

"Don't be ridiculous. If I'd asked him to prom I would have looked desperate."

Yume rolled her eyes.

"Temari, that's a ridiculous reason!"

She laughed, shrugging.

"I don't care, I still have my dignity!"

_**'That's it. You're punching her.'**_

_'No, I've got a better plan.'_

Yume was looking over at where Suigetsu and Haku were sat together at a table not too far away. Yume got a mischievous glint in her eyes. She looked back at Temari and smiled sickeningly sweetly,

"Temari, I'll be right back, I'm just going to say hi to my band."

Temari waved her off, taking another sip from her drink.

"Okay, just don't be too long, I don't want to look like a loner."

Yume laughed, getting up.

"Don't worry, I won't."

With this said, Yume grabbed her bag then walked around the outskirts of the room to her other friends' table. As she arrived Haku looked over, his eyes lighting up moments later. He jumped up from the table and ran to Yume, grabbing her by the hands, then jumped up and down happily.

"Yume, you look so nice!"

She laughed, smiling at the compliment.

"And hello to you too!"

Suigetsu looked up, noticing the commotion and grinned, winking,

"Nice dress. Shame about it hiding your legs though." He sat back, crossing his arms, "I would have liked to have seen a little bit more skin."-He had to dodge a low flying clutch-bag-"What? I'm a guy!"

As Yume sat down next to him with her arms crossed, she said,

"Well I'm sure if I'd actually come in something like _that_," She pointed to Ino - who was wearing a short, tight-fitting dark blue dress that only just-in-so covered everything, "You'd have dragged me straight back out and put me in a onesie!"

Suigetsu snorted into his drink with this image in his head.

"Yeah, probably."

Haku sat back down in his seat so Yume decided to set her plan in to motion.

"Hey, Suigetsu,"

He looked at her over the top of his drink,

"Hmm?"

Yume pointed her finger discretely towards Temari sat only a few tables away,

"That girl over there,"

"What about her?"

Haku looked over too, frowning slightly as he seemed to recognise her, then he suddenly gasped, realising,

"That's-"

"-She's called Temari." Interrupted Yume. "She's-"

"-Ohh, that's the girl he was on about!" Suigetsu finished, hitting his fist to the palm of his hand. Yume raised an eyebrow.

"Who was on about?"

"Kimimaro!"

"And what did he say exactly?" - this plan might be easier than she'd first imagined!

"Oh uhh..." Suigetsu suddenly became hesitant. Yume had a hunch why. She leant forward and whispered,

"He told you not to say he likes one of my friends, huh?"

Suigetsu's jaw dropped.

"How did you know that?"

Yume laughed loudly, drawing back to see Suigetsu looking astounded.

"It doesn't take an idiot." She pointed out what she'd seen after the concert, "He complimented her. That only ever means one thing with him."

Haku chuckled,

"Well that's true."

Suigetsu shrugged, giving up on hiding Kimimaro's secret.

"Ah well, it's his fault for not being discrete then!"

Yume rolled her eyes,

"Some secret keeper you are!"

Suigetsu pouted,

"Well you figured it out anyway!"

Yume laughed, patting his shoulder.

"It's fine, it's fine." She looked over to Temari again, then up to Kimimaro on the stage, then back to Suigetsu, "So... how about we get them together?"

Suigetsu looked at Kimimaro, then to the girl not too far away. He smirked. He'd been trying to set Kimimaro up with a decent girl for _ages_. Now was perfect timing!

"Absolutely!"

Yume laughed, pointing to Kimimaro,

"She might knock some sense in to him, after all!"

Haku raised his hand, laughing quietly,

"Kimimaro's got the most sense out of all of us."

"Pah! I have way more. What are you talking about?" Joked Suigetsu, grabbing hold of Haku under his arm, ruffling up his hair. Haku tried to pull free,

"Suigetsu, let go!"

Yume rolled her eyes, looking away from the pair over to Temari.

_'Okay, stage one complete.'_

_**'Stage two... hook 'em up!'**_

_'Easier said than done...'_

_**'And that's why we have Suigetsu, idiot. He can persuade Kimimaro into practically anything!'**_

_'Good point!'_ Yume heard the song ending. She smiled. '_Time to get the ball rolling.'_

"Suigetsu, Temari will never _ever_ ask him out, so it's your job to get him to ask her!"

He sagged, still holding onto Haku.

"Nothing like giving me the easy job."

She laughed, leaning over and tickling him to free Haku from his grip. Once Suigetsu was laughing loud enough, having let go of Haku, she stopped and said,

"Yes, well, better you than me. I'll mess it up."

"Urgh, fine!" He said, folding his arms, "Just go grab us a drink, okay?"

Yume looked over to the buffet table, where she noticed Amaya by the punch-bowl.

"Umm, Suigetsu that might not be the best of ideas..."

"Do you want me to be mister match-maker or not?"

She sagged.

_'I try to save him and he acts like that-'_

_**'LET'S GET HIM DRUNK THEN! He'll be sorry...'**_

Yume smirked.

"Okay, I'll be back with your drink in a minute."

Haku raised his hand,

"Please can I have one, t-"

"No."

Before any questions could be asked, Yume dashed off towards the buffet through the room of dancers. She was _not_ letting Haku have whatever concoction Amaya had made. He was _way_ too nice to do that to.

Yume appeared by the buffet-table, only when she looked around Amaya had disappeared again. She raised her eyebrow, unable to spot her anywhere. She looked over to the punch-bowl. It didn't _look_ any different; although over the many years Amaya had perfected disguising alcohol so...

As Yume picked up a cup, back on stage Hidan called into the microphone,

"That was 'Come back for me', bitches!" He looked about the audience yet again, trying to spot Akatsuki's drummer. He darted his eyes around; hardly able to see anything with the stage-lights blaring down on him. Hmm...-THERE! Right in the middle of the dance-floor with... A GIRL! SERIOUSLY! Well, that destroyed Hidan's theory of Tobi being gay. "Tobi, get your ass up on stage, _right _now!"

Tobi – who was holding Hinata – yelled back in a whiny voice,

"BUT TOBI'S BUSY!" This caused a lot of the room to laugh; only Tobi noticed the four sets of eyes on stage turn murderous, "...but Tobi's coming! T-Tobi's coming!"

He gave Hinata an awkward hug, sending her as red as a tomato, then when he left she fainted – only just-in-so being caught by Neji before she hit the floor.

Up on stage, Akatsuki turned to the boy on the drum-kit and Hidan said into the microphone,

"Give it up for Kimimaro! He's been fuckin'-"

"-LANGUAGE!" yelled Tsunade from the sidelines. Hidan rolled his eyes, grumbling under his breath,

"He's been _really_ great!"

The room of prom-goers clapped and cheered – especially Suigetsu, Yume and Haku. Kimimaro rose to his feet, bowed slightly, then made his way from the stage, his head turned to face the back wall to hide his smile. He passed Tobi on the steps and nodded. Tobi grinned before producing an orange mask from within his suit, then strapped it to his face before heading out on stage, waving energetically like he always did. Now with the right band-members again, the other four glared once more at Tobi, then set off into another song – a lively, upbeat song.

Kimimaro walked along the side of the room to where his friends were sitting, glancing uneasily at Suigetsu when he looked back with a fox-like smile on his face.

Yume made her way back to her friends with Suigetsu's drink; deciding to avoid going through the crowd of now-jumping teenagers by walking around the edge of the dance-floor, then once she'd arrived she saw Suigetsu and Kimimaro deep in discussion. She placed Suigetsu's drink down on the table, which caught Haku's attention so he said – glad to be getting out of the 'boy-talk',

"Hey, Yume, do you want to come and dance?"

Yume watched his hopeful face for a moment, then looked at the hoards of jumping people.

"Umm..."

"We can always go round the side?" He offered, pointing to where Kimimaro had appeared from. Yume looked there, weighing up the chances of being trodden on by someone, and then, seeing them slim, she smiled and nodded her head.

Haku quickly jumped up – hearing Suigetsu start to talk about something no proper gentleman should ever talk about – then took Yume's hand and pulled her along to where they could dance in peace. As Yume passed by she touched Kimimaro's shoulder to say hello. He looked up momentarily once she'd gone, smiling.

"She looks nice."

He felt a hard shove on his shoulder.

"Will you pay attention to me when I'm trying to lecture you?" Suigetsu was frowning. "You like Temari right?"

Kimimaro didn't react, which only meant yes. If he didn't like Temari he would have made a clear point of it. Suigetsu hit his shoulder, grinning now,

"Alright then! Well just go ask her then. It's a good song to dance to!"

Kimimaro looked out into the room, seeing the mass of jumping teens. Naruto and Sakura were in amongst them, hardly able to move about.

"Yes, I'm sure it is, Suigetsu, but..." He looked to Suigetsu with his chin resting on his knuckles, "As much as Temari may look tough on the outside, she's quite delicate so I think another, slower song may do her more justice."

Suigetsu looked at him dumbly. He was never very good with the emotional side of a relationship.

"Well whatever you say..." He laughed, hitting Kimimaro on the shoulder as he thought of something, "Just remember to use protection!" He reached forward, picking up the cup of what he thought was plain punch. He took a sip then looked at Kimimaro. He nearly dropped the cup, seeing Kimimaro's expression. "I was kidding! I was kidding! Calm down, sheesh!"

oOo

It was half an hour later and Yume had long since stopped dancing, and was now sat back with Temari, Sakura, Naruto and – since she'd finally shown up again (now unable to walk in a straight line) – Amaya. The five friends were sat talking happily, although every so often Yume looked over to Kimimaro. She had no idea what he was waiting for.

_**'He has as much damn pride as Temari! Neither one of them is going to ask the other to dance!'**_

_'Urgh, but I don't want to be the one to pair them up again...'_

_'__**Well there's always another option.'**_

Yume's eyes flickered over to Amaya – who was laughing loudly with Sakura.

_'Perfect!'_

"Hey Amaya!"

The girl in question looked up, smiling, her eyes fluttering,

"Yo, Yume-boomay... zoomay... fumay...- Woman, nothing rhymes with your name. What the hell is wrong with you?"

_'Maybe it's not such a good idea...'_

_**'Just do it.'**_

Yume got up and walked round the table so she was next to Amaya, then leant down and whispered into her ear. As she did this, Amaya's face slowly cracked with a devilish grin; her eyes turning to look at Temari. Temari noticed and laughed,

"What's up with you, Amaya?"

When Yume was done relaying the plan Amaya rose to her feet, skipping slightly until she was next to Temari, then before the blonde could ask Amaya wrapped her arm around Temari's and pulled her up, dragging her off to where Kimimaro was sitting.

Sakura said, watching as Amaya pulled the now-resisting Temari,

"It's about time too! I thought they'd never get anywhere."

Yume sat down, glad her part of the plan was over.

"Who?"

"Temari and Kimimaro."

Yume raised an eyebrow lazily,

"You knew too?"

Sakura snorted.

"Oh please. Temari's my best friend! Do you expect me not to know who she likes?"

Yume laughed,

"Yeah, I get your point."

Sakura winked playfully. At the same time, up on stage, Hidan finished singing again then announced into the microphone,

"Okay guys! Some of us are going to have a break so we're leaving you in the capable hands of Sasori!"

The red-head rose to his feet and waved, then sat down again, cracking his fingers then his neck like a true pianist. The other four left the stage; Deidara rolling his eyes as Sasori lapped up the applause.

Many of the girls in the room were quick to intercept the boys as they left the stage, asking if they wanted to dance – some even leaving their original prom dates to do so. The boys, however, actually did want to relax. There was no way they were getting up to dance. It was a slow song after all, since Sasori was playing the piano. One of his favourites actually; a song by some guy called 'Chopin'.

Elsewhere in the hall – with Amaya to be exact – she was having a hard time getting Kimimaro to stand up and dance. She was literally clawing at his shoulders now.

"You like her you prick, so get up and dance!"

He folded his arms, closing his eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Amaya."

Temari's heart fell at this – only the next moment (when Amaya had her head pressed between Kimimaro's shoulder-blades in an attempt to force him out of his seat) – he opened his eyes and smiled at her; reassuring her that he did in fact like her, and at the moment he was just trying to annoy Amaya. It was working too because Amaya was getting more and more worked up; trying harder and harder to get Kimimaro out of his seat. Suigetsu and Haku were laughing to no end, trying badly to disguise their laughter as coughing. Suigetsu, by now, had had five glasses of punch, and was probably in as bad a state as Amaya – though he hadn't stood up yet so no one could tell.

Just then Sasori started to play; the music drifting out over the room softly and elegantly; something foreign to Akatsuki: the big bad rock band of the west. The usual groups of dancers left the floor to sit at their tables, knowing their jumping was not welcome here. However, instead of leaving the floor empty, those few couples who were actually couples rose to their feet, the boy leading the girl as if they were at some sort of old-fashioned ball. Included in these couples, strangely enough Tobi rose to his feet – much to the other boys' surprise.

"What are you doing, yeah?" Asked Deidara quietly. Tobi looked down at him, removing his mask. His eyes were awfully calm to what they normally were, though his lips still held the same smile,

"Tobi's going to dance with Hinata."

Even Hidan was too shocked to comment on this. As the boy with the orange tie walked across the room to offer his arm to Hinata, the other three members of Akatsuki looked between one another. Hidan sighed heavily, crossing his arms, falling back against the seat.

"Fuck that! Even Tobi's got a date!"

Deidara watched his hyper friend approaching the shy girl for a moment, nodding glumly, then he realised something. A strange truth he hadn't noticed before. He turned to Hidan, his expression abnormally calm.

"Tobi's with Hinata."

Hidan frowned, rolling his eyes,

"No shit Sherlock."

Deidara rolled his own eyes, wondering how on earth Hidan hadn't realised yet.

"Tobi's with _Hinata_, yeah."

Hidan clenched his teeth, wondering if Deidara thought he was stupid or something.

"Yes, I _know_, dipshit!"

Deidara raised his fist slightly to punch some sense into his silver-haired friend, only Itachi interrupted, helping Hidan out,

"Tobi came with Yume and Amaya."

There was a pause of silence – well apart from the constant call of 'Can I have your autograph?' - and then Hidan finally seemed to click on. He jumped up, looking around.

"So Yume's free for a dance then!"

Deidara shook his head in disbelief.

"Finally, yeah..."

Hidan span around, his eyes glaring.

"Shut the fuck up."

Deidara glared too. Itachi, bored with this scenario by now, decided to leave to take a walk around the hall. This left Deidara and Hidan staring at one another. There was an obvious question on both boys' lips as the silence continued.

"So who's going to ask-"

"-Sit down, Hidan." Deidara said, his eyes suddenly becoming more serious. Hidan hadn't seen him like this in a while.

"Why should I?"

Deidara's eyes softened.

"Just do it, yeah."

There was a pause, then Hidan brought himself to take the seat next to Deidara. He crossed his arms,

"What?"

Deidara took a deep breath, as if something was hurting him to say what he was about to,

"Look..."

Now that the song was in full swing – or as swingy as a classical piece can be – romantic couples had all taken to the floor. Kimimaro, finally seeing this as the right song to ask Temari to dance, suddenly stood up from his seat, sending Amaya – who had been shoving him in the back for the past few moments – over the chair, over the table, and straight into Suigetsu. She glanced at him awkwardly for a while, then the two burst out laughing. Haku shuffled his seat away from them.

Kimimaro walked up to Temari and bowed – a gesture that sent Temari into a fluster. No one had ever been so formal. He took hold of her hand and said, his voice suddenly like velvet,

"Temari, would you care to dance with me?"

Her voice had completely gone.

"..-I...-I-..." Eventually she just nodded her head, letting him guide her away to the dance-floor. He bowed his head again, glad she'd accepted, and took her by the hand, walking her to centre stage – where all women were meant to be, he thought.

Back with Yume, Sakura and Naruto, the three had just noticed Kimimaro and Temari on the dance-floor and started clapping, watching dreamily as Kimimaro placed his hand on Temari's waist and held her other hand in his own. They looked like such a perfect couple.

"Why hadn't they hook up sooner, huh?" Sakura said quietly, nudging Yume. She nodded in agreement; her eyes fixed on the couple. For a while they were all she could see, but then she noticed the other couples on the floor; Tobi and Hinata for one. Hinata's face was as red as a cherry, but nevertheless she looked so happy, held in Tobi's arms. It was abnormal to say the least, seeing Tobi waltzing around the room instead of jumping about and diving on people. Yume sighed, turning to look at Sakura finally,

"Hey, why don't you two get up and dance?"

Sakura shook her head, a playful look on her face,

"No thanks. Do you really think he-" She pointed at Naruto "- knows how to slow dance?"

Yume looked at Naruto, who'd been listening to the conversation, and he nodded, scratching the back of his head nervously,

"She's right. I may be the ultimate fighting machine," He flexed his invisible muscles through his tuxedo, "But I'm not really a dancer."

Both Yume and Sakura creased over laughing, leaving Naruto looking quite confused.

Just a brief distance away, Amaya had made comfortable pals with Suigetsu and Haku. Actually, she'd made friends with Suigetsu, and Haku just couldn't leave because Amaya had her arm around his shoulders and for some reason she kept wiping her hand down his face.

Amaya laughed, handing Suigetsu another glass of punch as she shook Haku slightly,

"You're alright, Suigetsu, you're alright."

He grinned, taking the glass and holding it up to Amaya,

"Same to you." He drank from the glass, dribbling the liquid down his neck slightly. Amaya laughed and threw a napkin.

"Clean up, lady muck!"

He flicked his head to the side, pretending to be offended,

"And who are you calling lady muck?"

"You, obviously! It's not like I'm saying it to this one," She said, wiping her hand down Haku's face again. The smaller boy sagged, trying desperately to move away from Amaya. Hell, at the moment he'd even risk messing up his suit from diving across the table if it meant getting out of arms length of her. WHY WAS SHE SO CLINGY?

Suigetsu snorted again, taking another drink, his hand shaking a little,

"I'm no lady, I'll have you know!"

She laughed loudly – disturbing the peaceful setting of the dancers – and said, throwing back her own drink,

"That's what they all say!"

Suigetsu raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"All who say?"

Amaya set her glass down on the table for a moment, looking at it long and hard, then when both Haku and Suigetsu thought she'd fallen asleep, she snapped her head up and said with a wink,

"All the gay guys!"

Suigetsu recoiled back, his mouth wide.

"I am _not_ gay!" He took Amaya's glass and held it up in front of his face, then tipped the last of the content into his mouth. When he'd done this he thumped the glass back onto the table, then said quietly, as if unsure, "Am I?"

Amaya laughed loudly again – gaining more glares from the dancers. Damn he was gullible. Haku said, laughing quietly but trying to set Suigetsu's confused mind at rest,

"No, Suigetsu, you're not-"

"-Yes, yes you are." Interrupted Amaya. She fixed Suigetsu with a long stare, then turned to Haku with a motherly smile on her face. "Now shush little one because the grown-ups are talking!"

Haku's smile faltered slightly. Amaya patted him on the head, seeing he'd gone quiet, then turned to look at Suigetsu again, grinning,

"Think about it, Suigetsu! You've always know you were gay, very deep down!"

Suigetsu furrowed his eyebrows, scrunching his face up slowly, trying to process what was being said. After a moment he said, running his finger around the top of the glass so that it made a whistling sound,

"Really?" He tilted his head, "I think I would have noticed."

Amaya waggled her finger,

"Ah-ah-ah, Suigetsu! Here, let me prove it to you." She fixed him another hard stare, "When was the last time you had a girlfriend? Never!"

Suigetsu's mouth fell open as a strange realisation dawned on him,

"You're right!" - no, she really _wasn't_ right, but Suigetsu was too out of it to even remember what had happened to him five minutes ago.

Amaya nodded her head, secretly holding back the laughter, then she added, to prove her point,

"And does _this_ look attractive to you?" She grabbed hold of Haku by the shoulders and propped him on her knees, much to his protest. Haku was well known for looking like a girl, but nevertheless he was a boy – of course, again, Suigetsu was too drunk to even see straight so he didn't realise the person in front of him was Haku, and he mistook him for a pretty, long-haired girl. He grinned,

"Yes, yes it does."

Amaya laughed again, seeing Haku's face turn pale, then she chucked him aside and said triumphantly,

"Well, Suigetsu, that was a guy. It proves it, you're gay."

Suigetsu's jaw fell open.

"Well I never..."

Amaya grinned, hearing Sasori bring his song to a close.

"Yup, and if I were you, I'd make it official."

Suigetsu nodded his head slowly, his chin resting on his knuckles, but then he actually realised what she'd said and tilted his head again, looking confused,

"And how do I do that, exactly?"

Amaya laughed, tapping the side of her nose,

"Aah, have no fear my little boy George! We can take care of that!"

A few minutes later and Haku was now hurriedly making his way towards Yume at the other table, fearing for his safety. She noticed him approaching and smiled, waving to him,

"Hi Haku!" She noticed the expression on his face, "What's up with you?" He sat down in the seat next to her and quickly latched onto her arm. She raised an eyebrow, seeing Haku being very... not Haku-like. "Umm.. Haku?"

Haku closed his eyes and buried his head into Yume's arm, pointing over at the stage. She looked over, seeing Sasori rising to his feet after just finishing the song. Nothing abnormal.

"Haku?"

He said, muffled by her arm,

"Keep watching."

Yume turned her attention back to the stage, along with Sakura and Naruto who were looking mildly interested. For a moment nothing happened other than Sasori walked to the microphone and announced,

"It was nice to see so many couples. I'll play one more if you-" and then as if by magic Amaya appeared on stage, shoving Sasori sideways so he lost his balance, and as he was dropping to the floor, Amaya took the microphone from his outstretched hand. She nodded down at him,

"Why thank- thank you!" She looked at the microphone in her hands, for a second trying to figure out how it had gotten there, then she laughed, remembering, then turned to face the rest of the room,

"So, folks, hope you're having a super-duper-trooper night!" This caused a lot of applause so she shushed them angrily, having cut her off, "Now I have a little friend here who wants to say something big!" She pointed off-stage, throwing her arms out, "Give it up for... Suigetsu!"

At this, Yume looked down at Haku, asking – dreading the reply,

"Haku, what is he doing up there?"

He sighed into her arm,

"He's, uhh..."

"I'M GAY!" This outburst from on stage attracted her attention again, her eyes having gone wide. Kimimaro, sat back at his own table with Temari, was also looking bewildered. Amaya – now hidden slightly off-stage – was laughing so hard she had collapsed on the floor. Now, what made it even better was a moment later another voice called,

"ME TOO!"

There was a large chorus of 'HUH?' and an '_I KNEW IT_' from Naruto. Amaya clawed herself back onto stage so she could see who had shouted, and there, in the middle of the room, wearing a luminous green suit, his grin brighter than the sun, was none other than – no not Lee – Gai. He had his thumb held up in the air, grinning at Suigetsu as he swayed about a lot. He was the punch-monitor after all. Again, Amaya creased over laughing. This plan could not get any better. Suigetsu, who was still too drunk to realise what he was saying or doing, grinned back, throwing his own thumb up. Half the room exploded into laughter. Yume slapped her hand to her forehead. Kimimaro buried his head in his hands. Amaya, miraculously able to stand through so much laughter, staggered back onto stage and pulled the microphone from Suigetsu. She announced, still seeing Gai in the middle of the room,

"Well guys, that's all. Get back to your dancing now!"

With this she grabbed hold of Suigetsu and pulled him back off-stage. As they were making their way down the steps, Amaya somehow produced a pair of tickets from in her dress and held them out for Suigetsu.

"Here," She said, pressing them into Suigetsu's hands, "have a gift!"

"Uhh, thanks!" He said, grinning madly, oblivious to the amount of taunts that would follow him for the next few years. He looked down at the tickets and tried to read what they said.

"Vay-Veg-...Vegaaa..."

Amaya slapped him on the back, grinning,

"Vegas, Idiot!" She winked when he looked back at her, "For you and lover-boy over there!" She indicated to Gai who was still stood on the dance-floor, swaying still. She pushed Suigetsu in his general direction, "Have a nice honey-moon!"

What happened next is unmentionable because it involved a lot of swearing, hip-thrusting, limbo-dancing, and a taxi to the air-port – and Amaya caught it all on video. Haku, being the unlucky soul he was, was the person sent after them to try and stop a drunken Suigetsu getting on a plane to Vegas with a drunken teacher.

Yume, finally seeing the funny side of it – having been forced to drink quite a bit of Amaya's punch by now - was laughing so hard into Sakura's shoulder that she didn't even hear Sasori start to play the music again. In fact, it was a good way into the song when she finally stopped laughing and sat up, wiping at her eyes to get rid of the tears. Naruto on the other hand (along with a good few others in the room) was still laughing about on the floor, unable to stop himself. Kimimaro seemed to be the only one who was still ashamed by the whole situation. He was still sat at his table with his head in his hands – Temari patting him on the shoulder, trying to stifle her own laughing.

Yume only stopped dabbing at her eyes when someone appeared in front of her table. She looked up, still half-leaning on Sakura's shoulder to support herself.

"Oh, h-hello, Hidan!"

He grinned down at her, still laughing too.

"Hey!" He said, raising a hand, "We haven't seen you all fuckin' night! You could have checked in with us at least."

Yume pulled herself up to a sitting position and smiled apologetically, swaying ever so slightly,

"Sorry."

He smirked,

"Don't worry about it, Blondie." His smirk turned into a playful grin, "Nice dress."

Yume looked down at herself, seeing the mass of blue sparkles, then looked up, smiling still,

"Thanks!"

Hidan rolled his eyes, seeing how unbelievably happy she seemed. Was she drunk or something? Oh wait, he'd spiked the punch-bowl earlier, she probably was. He laughed, seeing Yume smiling brightly, then pointed over his shoulder, towards where – Yume now noticed – the other members of Akatsuki were sat (plus Hinata now). She looked at the table, then back at him, then since she didn't do anything he grabbed her by the arm,

"Come on, you're saying hi whether you want to or not."

For once Yume seemed glad to be being dragged by her arm – it was much better than being slung over somebodies shoulder after all. As Hidan pulled her along, past Temari and Kimimaro, Yume looked out onto the dance-floor, seeing it full with couples again. Back at the table, since Yume had just left, Sakura decided she didn't want to be the only one left out, so she grabbed hold of Naruto – who was _still_ laughing – and pulled him up, saying with a smile,

"You know what, I don't care if you can't slow dance. We're going to try it anyway."

Naruto couldn't exactly protest.

Hidan had a bit of a time trying to pull Yume along, since the drinks she'd had seemed to be finally catching up with her. She was getting more and more fairy-footed every second. The pair eventually arrived at the table where Itachi, Deidara, Tobi and Hinata were sat, along with Kisame who was playing bodyguard. Yume smiled at them, waving madly,

"Hi guys!"

For a second they all looked at her oddly, then Deidara, realising, rounded on Hidan,

"I thought we told you not to spike the punch, yeah!"

Hidan shrugged,

"Who said I did?"

Deidara took one glance at Yume, who was now beginning to try and spin around Hidan's arm, then looked back at Hidan with his eyebrow raised.

"I think it speaks for itself."

Hidan laughed, shaking Yume off his arm, then put a hand on her shoulder to hold her still.

"Yeah, yeah, well fuck yo-"

"No, no!" Yume said, interrupting him. She looked at Deidara, wide-eyed, "It wasn't Hidan, I swear!" At this Hidan's chest filled with pride. She was sticking up for him even though she probably knew- "It was Amaya before!"

At this, Hidan's pride-bubble burst. She wasn't sticking up for him after all. Instead, he rounded on Deidara, grinning,

"See? Fuckin' told you it wasn't me."

Deidara rolled his eyes. Just then, as good old luck would have it, Tobi reached down under the table and produced a mostly-empty bottle of sake. He held it up in front of his face and studied it a second, then held it out,

"Isn't this Hidan's?"

Deidara, who had been about to apologise to Hidan, glared instead.

"You were saying, Hidan?"

The look Hidan gave Tobi might have killed him had he been looking. He reached forward and snatched the bottle away, tucking it in his suit. As he did this, Yume knitted her eyebrows together, thinking things over as her mind slowly worked stuff out,

_'So... Amaya spiked the drinks... and...'_

_**'And... Hidan did too... so TWO people.. spike- ...spiked the drinks...'**_

_'Oh- oh great! So now I'm... double drunk...-Oh god.'_

Yume suddenly keeled, holding her stomach. The others were already at the conclusion she'd made in her head. Itachi pointed out to Hidan, trying to make him feel more guilty for spiking teenagers drinks without thinking of the consequences,

"And now Yume's had a double-dose and she's going to be sick."

Yume looked up at him through one squinting eye, still clutching her stomach,

"Am not!" She swayed slightly, the colour beginning to drain from her face. Hidan sighed, rubbing his hand down his face.

"Fine, fine. I'll go tell them to change the drinks." He grumbled under his breath something about 'fucking spoil-sports'. As he turned to leave, Deidara said, getting to his feet,

"No, I'll go, yeah." He got out from behind the table and walked up to Hidan. He looked him purposefully in the eye.

"You take her outside for some fresh-air, yeah."

Hidan, after a moment, nodded. Deidara walked off after this quite hurriedly, hoping no one else had drank too much. As Yume tried to right herself, her face still as white as a sheet, Tobi started waving to her. She laughed, slurring her words a little,

"Tobi, why are you waving? I'n not going any- _HEY_!" She found herself suddenly being pulled away by Hidan again, towards the side of the stage. "What- what are you doing?"

He rolled his eyes and kept pulling, still laughing slightly at Yume being a light-weight. Yume, unable to stop him from pulling, looked back at the others in confusion. Tobi kept on waving, whereas Kisame suddenly got up and started following the pair. Yume asked, knowing she wasn't getting a clear answer from Hidan,

"Where am I going?"

Kisame patted her on the head.

"Outside."

She tilted her head slightly, but in doing so, since she was getting more and more drunk every moment, she lolled her head so far she almost fell sideways. Kisame laughed even more and up-righted her. She smiled at him, then accidentally walked into the back of Hidan since he'd stopped moving. He looked over his shoulder, chuckling at her, then pushed opened the fire-exit that they were stood next to. They were by the side of the stage now, and Yume looked up onto it, seeing Sasori immersed in his piano-playing. As she did this, her eyesight seemed to suddenly go fuzzy and the room started to sway.

"Oh god..."

Hidan pulled her out through the fire-escape, only to stop on the small balcony that overlooked the school's garden. Kisame, behind them, walked out too then closed the doors, walking past them before he made his way down the fire-escape. As he walked he called up to Hidan,

"I'm going to go check for potential murderers!"

Hidan laughed slightly, more focused on making sure Yume didn't hurl her guts up to really care. Kisame ran down the stairs, then close to the bottom he simply pole-vaulted over the railing and landed on the ground, trampling a few patches of flowers.

Back on the balcony Yume was leaning with her head against the railings, her eyes shut tight, with Hidan rubbing her back in a circle motion, one arm supporting him on the railing. He laughed, seeing her still-very-pale-but-slowly-regaining-colour face and said,

"You shouldn't have drank as much."

Yume kept her eyes shut, pressing her head closer to the railing,

"Shut up. I had double what I thought I was having."

Hidan laughed again, almost a little nervously. Had it been anyone else in Yume's situation he would be laughing at them and possibly taking pictures, but it was Yume so... yeah, he just felt a _tiny_ bit guilty.

"Maybe Amaya shouldn't have fuckin' spiked the drinks then!" He said defensively, still rubbing Yume's back to try and make her feel better, "And how old is she any way? She shouldn't even be able to get hold of alcohol."

Yume slumped slightly, pulling herself up so she could look into the garden,

"That didn't stop you that time when you were fourteen..."

Hidan's jaw dropped open.

"How do you know about that?"

Yume giggled slightly, looking across to him,

"Hidan, don't be stupid."

He would have been offended, but then he realised he was being stupid. He had an autobiography. Duh.

Yume pressed her head against the railing again so Hidan said, trying to be helpful for the mess he'd got her into,

"Take some deep breaths and you'll be fine."

She mumbled something, then pulled her head up. Hidan smiled at her so she sighed heavily and turned; now having her elbows on the railing to support her. She closed her eyes a took a few deep breaths. As Hidan watched her do so, he seemed so engrossed that he found himself taking the same deep breaths. He only snapped out of it when Yume opened her eyes again, her cheeks looking a little more colourful. He grinned,

"Better?"

She nodded.

From inside the pair could hear Sasori playing the music still, and through the window they could see the couples together. Yume smiled, tapping her fingers lightly against the metal railings along to the beat. Hidan watched her do this, and as he did he began to feel a small lump in his throat. He looked away from Yume quickly, deciding instead to look down at the gardens, where Kisame was running about like a little child. He was thrashing his pee-shooter around above his head, diving from bush to bush, shouting loudly. Hidan rolled his eyes. Just then Kisame noticed Hidan was watching him and looked up to the balcony. He grinned toothily, then seeing the expression of awkwardness on Hidan's face he stuck his thumb up encouragingly, then quickly dove to another bush, but missed his footing and fell forward into a pond. Hidan laughed loudly.

Yume opened her eyes and looked round, hearing the splash.

"What was that?" She asked, looking about on the ground, then turned to look at Hidan with worried eyes. He laughed again, pointing at the head of blue hair that had just surfaced in the water.

"Just Kisame being an idiot. Don't worry."

"Oh," She smiled lightly, realising she wasn't about to get attacked by members of the press. She watched Kisame spluttering and shaking himself off as he got out of the pool, listening to the music still as she did. Hidan was next to her, staring at Yume rather than the idiot down on the ground. He was debating in his head, wondering the best time to say something. He'd never really liked anyone _properly _before. Usually he just had to put on his 'sexy smirk' and he'd have girls swooning over him, and he could just take his pick. Yume was different. He ran a hand up through his hair, turning to look at the moon for a moment, then he took a determined gasp of air and said,

"Yume. You've got to know I-"

"Thank you, Hidan."

Hidan stopped trying to talk and instead looked across at Yume, who'd turned to look at him a moment ago. She was staring at him through large blue eyes that looked almost like pools, a gentle smile on her lips. Hidan cocked an eyebrow, slightly puzzled. He hadn't done anything that would make her want to thank him recently. Hell, she was drunk at prom because of him.

"What are you saying thanks for?"

She gave a small laugh then turned to look up at the night's sky. After watching the emerging stars for a moment she said with a smile on her face,

"For looking out for me," She tilted her head, smirking now, "Especially back at the pool. I never thanked you properly."

Hidan rolled his eyes,

"Don't mention it. Deidara was a fuckin' idiot and I couldn't exactly leave you hanging up there, could I?"

He managed to miss the look of admiration on Yume's face as he turned to laugh at Kisame still trying to dry himself off down below. When he looked back at Yume she passed him a gentle smile and said, laughing as she thought back over the times,

"You always manage to cheer me up when I need it." For a moment her eyes connected with his but she couldn't hold it and looked down at her hands instead, "Thank you..."

He laughed, patting her on the back,

"Yeah, you've had _way_ too much to drink. Sorry about that."

Yume laughed, pushing his hand off her back,

"I have not! And anyway, it's true." He raised an unconvinced eyebrow so she continued, trying very hard not to laugh at the memory, "Like the time after the party when you dressed up like a girl! I don't think I'd ever laughed so much."

Inwardly Hidan wanted to cry like a little girl. He'd been hoping she'd forgotten all about that incident... apparently not. DAMN.

"Actually I think you'll find I was fucking forced into that dress, kicking and screaming, remember?"

Yume cracked a grin, really trying not to laugh,

"Yes, I remember."

For a second more the pair fell silent, then Yume suddenly burst out into fits of laughter, creasing over slightly as her laughs managed to drown out the music from inside. Hidan's jaw fell.

"Yume!"

She collapsed completely, remembering how Hidan's hair had been roughly thrown into many messy bunches by Amaya, lipstick smeared over his face from when he'd tried to pull away.

"S-sorry Hidan," She said between laughs, "It was just so funny."

Hidan sighed exasperatedly, watching Yume now literally rolling on the floor in laughter. He leant down and pulled her up to her feet again, still holding onto her as she giggled. When she was back to full height he let go and made her hold onto the railings. As she was quietening down again, he said finally,

"Fine then, you're welcome. I'm as funny as a fucking clown apparently."

Yume nodded in agreement, wiping at her eyes slightly.

Once she was quieter and more composed, Yume managed to say,

"But yeah, you really are a great friend, Hidan. I'm glad I met you – even if I did fall on top of you."

He saw her eyes sparkling with memories so he leant across again and punched her playfully on the shoulder,

"Same to you."

From inside the hall, both Amaya and Deidara were watching the pair through the large arch window that looked out onto the balcony. Amaya, who was leaning over the top of Deidara to get a better look, said in a slurred tone,

"God damn it. What the heck are those two doing?" Her eyes narrowed, and she looked down at Deidara, "What are those two doing?" She looked back at the pair quickly, then back to Deidara, "No wait, what is _Hidan_ doing?"

Deidara smiled, not once taking his eyes from the pair. He said to Amaya, much to her dismay,

"He's doing something we've been wanting to do for months, yeah."

Amaya's jaw dropped open – again, getting the wrong impression,

"Oh hell no he's not! Not to my Yume he's not! That sick pervert! Why I ought'a-" She pushed herself away from the window and stumbled back onto the floor, her tail smacking Hinata and Tobi in the face as she went. She rolled up her invisible sleeves and started marching her way towards the doors to the balcony, but Deidara grabbed her tail first. She turned, seeing him, and laughed,

"I thought you of all people would want me -hiccup- to stop him!"

Deidara muttered something under his breath, then said after a moment,

"Just leave them alone," his frown turned into a smile, "It should work out for the better."

"HUH?" Amaya said, genuinely confused. She was about to round on Deidara to beat some sense into him, only Itachi stated, looking out of the window himself,

"Here we go."

Hidan saw Yume smiling so he grinned lightly to himself; things were working out better than he'd planned. He took a deep breath for good luck, then as he went to say something very important and possibly life-changing, as luck would have it, Yume managed to stop him with the phrase,

"I'm going to miss you all when I'm on tour, you know?"

Damn. With all that was going on he'd almost forgotten about Yume's world tour. Fuck. He grinned, covering up the sudden anxiety he felt.

"Oh please. Are you going to miss Kisame's driving? Or Tobi's singing?"

She laughed loudly at this, only now realising that yes, she would miss them. For some reason, two months away from Kisame driving faster than the speed of light seemed to actually pull on her heart-strings.

"I guess I will."

Hidan laughed at what she'd just admitted to.

"I'll tell him that."

"No, please don't," She said, grinning, "He'll think I actually enjoy the rides."

Hidan threw his hands up in the air, chuckling,

"Even more reason to!" He turned his head and winked at her, "I can ask him to be your personal driver, if you like?"

"No thanks."

He shrugged.

"I might ask anyway."

Yume stuck her tongue out at him.

As much as it pained him to say so, watching Yume being so happy, Hidan realised she wasn't going to be the only person missing someone while she was away. For two months, instead of seeing Yume's happy face, he was going to have to live with Tobi constantly crying about how much he was missing her instead, adding to what Hidan would be feeling already. Fan-fucking-tastic.

"Do me a favour and take a few of Deidara's birds with you, alright?"

Yume furrowed her eyebrows, surprised by this request.

"How come?"

She saw Hidan shrug and look away, but he said nonetheless,

"Tobi'll want to talk to you while you're gone, and fuck knows I'm not going to listen to him complaining for two months."

Yume giggled, imagining she'd come back to find Hidan had been sent to prison for unusual murder.

"You know we can just use phones, right?"

Hidan furrowed his eyebrows,

"He'll want to see your face."

Yume smiled again,

"Well then I'll just talk to him on web-cam."

Hidan crossed his arms and snapped suddenly,

"Will you just take them, already?"

After this was said, Hidan suddenly regretted it and turned away to look at the garden again. Yume watched him a moment, then, instead of getting upset or angry at his outburst, she simply smiled like she always did and replied,

"Fine, I'll take a couple," then she added, "But just for Tobi."

She saw Hidan give a tiny sigh of relief and rolled her eyes. She knew Hidan wanted her to take the birds for her own protection, as much as he wouldn't admit to it. No doubt on the day before she left he'd slip her the activation phrase for the birds. It was sweet how much he looked out for her, really.

Now, since Yume was feeling much less sick than she had been, and since she didn't want to miss watching her friends dancing, she rubbed her arms, feeling a gentle breeze, and said to Hidan with a smile,

"I'm going to go back in now, I think."

Turning to go back inside, Yume completely missed Hidan's head whipping round to look at her. She walked forward to put her hand on the door, only she felt herself being pulled away from it the next moment. She looked around, surprised to see Hidan had taken hold of her hand.

"What's wrong?" She asked in confusion, seeing Hidan's usually casual expression gone. He opened his mouth to speak, but shut it again, a little lost for words, then when Yume went to pull her hand away he said, sighing in aggravation,

"So since I don't want to do this with the whole of your school watching-" He took a deep breath, "-Yume... will you go out with me?"

Yume, who had just been set upon getting her hand free, stopped dead in shock.

"W-what?"

He let go of her hand, but she held it there, too startled to do much else. Hidan grinned – trying to hide how unbelievably nervous her reaction had just made him,

"Yume, I really like you, and I mean _really_." He laughed in spite of the situation, "You must have noticed by now?"

"Well I-...I-.." She hadn't been expecting him to confess. She'd known ever since she'd read his diary, but she'd always had it in her head that that was as far as it would go; with him and Deidara fighting constantly but never actually doing anything about it. Even so, now she felt her heart-beat up against her rib-cage, telling her to say what she wanted. In her head however, she was becoming very confused and conflicted,

_'It's Hidan, he's famous- Am I ready for a boyfriend- Well I'll never know unless I tr- I don't want to ruin what we have- Oh no! What about Deidara- Hidan's such a good friend but I-'_

_**'Be. Quiet.'**_

_'But I-'_

_**'-Calm down!' **_

Yume took a deep breath,

_'Alright...'_

_**'All you need to ask yourself is 'do you like him?' - we both know you're inexperienced so you just need to relax. Think. It doesn't matter what any body else thinks or how they'll feel. It is your**_ _**decision.'**_

Yume took another deep breath, thinking things over in her head.

Unbeknown to Yume, Hidan's heart-beat was in his throat. He'd known it was a risk, telling her - what with all the issues with boyfriends when she was younger - but now just seemed like the perfect time. He knew she was happy here at the prom; and he knew she liked romance, so what time would be better?

He watched Yume, inwardly praying she'd say something more to him soon. He knew this was a shock for her, and he just hoped it would turn out okay. If not, well, then he'd effectively ruined their friendship.

When Yume didn't say anything for a few moments more Hidan pondered that he'd sent her into shock. He took a step forward, raising his hand to put in on Yume's shoulder, only with it but an inch away, there was a sudden cry of,

"HIDAN~! We need you back on stage now!" -Tobi had just burst through the doors, yelling loudly, making Hidan drop his hand and Yume look at him in surprise. Back inside the building, Amaya – who had been watching the whole scene with ogling eyes - screamed at the top of her lungs; almost drowning out the applause for Sasori,

"_NO_!" She clenched her fists and hurled them into the windowsill – and had Deidara not managed to move out of the way in time, he'd probably be unconscious by now.

"Calm down, yeah!" He said angrily, grabbing hold of Amaya's hands before she could attack anything else. Amaya gritted her teeth,

"Tobi you fucking _idiot_, how could you?" She turned her head from the window, instead rounding on Hinata – her eyes suddenly unnaturally calm, "Kiss your dear prom date goodbye Hinata, because after this is over I'm having a little... _chat_ with him."

Hinata laughed nervously.

Back on the balcony Tobi had fallen quiet, only now realising he'd walked in on something. He said nervously, laughing to try and ignore the murderous aura now emitting from Hidan,

"So... whenever you're ready, Hidan!"

And with this, he abruptly turned and ran back inside, fearing for his life. Two seconds later Hidan turned on his heel and dashed for the door, murder swirling in his eyes, but then with his hands on the handles, he stopped, put both feet on the ground and looked over his shoulder at Yume,

"I... can stay out here if you really want me to?" He flashed her a grin, "Killing Tobi can wait 'til later."

The surprise of Tobi's sudden appearance had shocked Yume back to reality, so now she smiled at Hidan and shook her head,

"No, don't worry. Tonight's music is more important," She waved to him as if ending the discussion, "We can talk later."

Hidan, although he'd been raging a war with himself whether or not to stay with her anyway, knew she was right – after all, talking out here didn't get him paid. After a moment's pause where Hidan gave one final glance to the girl in her flowing blue dress, he smiled lightly and nodded,

"Alright then. I'll see you later, Yume."

As he wrenched open the doors to the hall, Yume waved at his back, smiling with her heart pounding against her rib-cage.

"See you later."

After watching him go, Yume made sure the doors had swung shut properly – and that she couldn't hear Tobi screaming for mercy, then sagged against the railings and let out a heavy sigh.

"Oh boy..."

To say that had been a shock would have been an understatement. For so long she'd known Hidan liked her, but never once had she expected him to tell her directly. And at her prom nonetheless. It was like some weird fairytale. But... could she...- What about Deidara? She was his friend. She didn't want to hurt him. And Hidan in the first place? Was now the time to...?

She sagged her head, still unable to think properly. She knew, deep down, she love both boys so much, but when it came to relationship love... she didn't even know what she was suppose to be feeling. She'd never felt it before. She'd stayed away from boys so now that someone like Hidan was asking, what could she do? No one had ever prepared her for this.

She pushed up from the bars, deciding to go and talk to Amaya about it. Surely she'd be able to help?

Yume walked forward, pulled open the doors to the hall and stepped inside, looking around for Amaya. Up on stage, when Yume walked in, most eyes flickered to her. All of the boys knew what had gone on outside, but Hidan hadn't spared them the outcome when he'd returned. From the look on her face most had surmised she hadn't given an answer yet. She looked puzzled, vulnerable and excited all in one go.

Yume made her way into the room of dancing students, looking about for Amaya. At first she couldn't find her, but then, at the other side of the room with Sakura at the punch bowl, there she was, trying to spike everyone's drinks again. Yume couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Yume dodged through the crowds of people, smiling as she passed by Kimimaro and Temari, then appeared alongside Amaya and Sakura. Sakura noticed her first, but instead of waving or smiling, she grabbed hold of Amaya and shook her, making her notice Yume. The raven-haired girl turned unsteadily, smiling broadly when she spotted her best friend,

"There you are, chuck!"

Sakura grabbed her by the arm and pulled her over to Yume, laughing slightly. Yume smiled a little uneasily, realising talking to Amaya about her problem when she was _this_ drunk was probably a really bad idea. Sakura had no idea what was going on – because she hadn't been there to watch the scene outside and Amaya wouldn't tell her what had gone on – but nevertheless, seeing Yume looking as anxious as she did, she said in her best attempt to be supportive,

"It can't be that bad!"

Amaya turned, wiping a finger clumsily down Sakura's face, saying,

"Sshhh..."

Sakura smacked her hand away and glared.

"Amaya!"

The girl giggled and shoved Sakura slightly, mumbling,

"Go find Naruto or something!"

For a moment Sakura was sceptical about leaving, but Yume nodded reassuringly, showing she could deal with Amaya alright on her own. Sakura sighed in defeat, then waved good bye to Yume. As she walked past Yume to find Naruto she whispered,

"Good luck!"

Yume giggled in reply. Once Sakura had disappeared, Amaya finally tried to focus on what was happening. She hid the bottle of vodka back underneath her dress, then propped herself up against the buffet-table, patting the space next to her for Yume. Yume stood beside her, then Amaya said, trying her very best to speak properly,

"I saw what was happening outside."

Yume nodded, smiling as she looked down at her hands again,

"Yeah, somehow I thought you might have done."

Amaya grinned and pushed Yume playfully, accidentally shoving her a little too hard, sending her toppling to the floor. Amaya laughed loudly, seeing Yume sighing, then gave her a hand up, mumbling an apology. When she was upright again, Amaya continued,

"Well I knew that something like this was going to happen tonight-"

"-How?" Yume asked, surprised. Amaya's face slowly fell into a glare,

"Well Yume... I was _GETTING TO THAT PART! HOLD YOUR HORSES, WOMAN!_" - seeing she'd effectively shut Yume up, she continued again, "-So yeah, Sasori came round to our house earlier to talk to me – yeah not you, _ME_! Ha! - he wanted to talk about tonight because he knew someone was probably going to ask you out, so~...!" She reached into her dress and produced a folded piece of paper, handing it to Yume with a grin on her face, "I came prepared!"

As Yume opened the piece of paper and read '_Dear Yume_', Amaya said,

"I knew I'd get too drunk so I wouldn't be able to talk properly so," She tapped the top of the paper, "I wrote it all down instead! Two birds, one stone kind of thing!"

Yume looked up from the paper, impressed with Amaya's initiative. The girl winked, tapping the paper again for good measure,

"Everything you need to know is on there, because I'm awesome like that," then she added, trying her best to turn her face serious, "But remember, it's your choice-" She burst out laughing, unable to hold her composure. Yume rolled her eyes, patting her friend on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Amaya."

She nodded, then Yume leaned over and wrapped her arms around her friend, hugging her tight. Amaya was a little puzzled at first, forgetting what was going on, but then she wrapped her own arms around Yume's shoulders.

"Tell me how it goes tomorrow, okay? When I can actually remember what's going on."

Amaya pulled back, a cheeky grin on her face. Yume smiled and nodded,

"Don't worry, I will."

Amaya clapped.

"Good! Now," She turned back to the punch and pulled out her bottle of vodka again, "If you don't mind?"

Yume nodded and walked away, leaving Amaya to her wicked ways. Now that she was making her way back to her table, she opened the letter again and began to read what Amaya had wrote, hoping that it would actually help her in some way and not just be a lot of ranting about how boys are idiots, especially Hidan and Deidara.

_'Dear, Yume. Boys are idiots, especially Hidan and Deidara.' _Yume rolled her eyes, _'Never the less, I don't think I've ever seen two boys as determined as them, try and get your affections. As much as I hate to admit it, I've got a gut feeling they'll be good for you, which ever one you choose. They're both pricks, and they're both too stuck up for their own good, but deep down I think they both really care for you. However, if you want my opinion – because my opinion rules ALL – I'm going to say you're going to have to rely on your heart, because your head is as empty as a bubble. No offence. Don't go choosing one because you want to make him feel good, because you know that's only going to make the other one feel bad. Choose the guy that makes you __HAPPY_, _and I mean the guy that makes you laugh even in the worst of times, and the guy that can be serious when he has to be. The guy that can beat up guys for you when I'm not around, and the guy that will still hold your hand in front of other people, okay? If either of those two libido-driven dick-heads fall into that category then grab onto them and never let go. Guys are going to hurt you in life, it's a fact, but having one guys that can defend you from all the rest is the only thing you'll need to keep the smile on your face. I hope this helped a bit, and good luck chuck! Love, Amaya xxx'_

By now Yume was sitting at her table with Haku and an unconscious Suigetsu – passed out from drinking too much. She folded the piece of paper and held it in her lap, thinking over what Amaya had written. As she thought things over in her head, Haku, sitting across from her, noticed a smile growing bigger and bigger on her face. Once he thought he cheeks were actually going to give way, he said, laughing slightly at her happy expression,

"What's up with you?"

Yume looked up from the paper again, startled that Haku had spoken up. She shook her head, still grinning,

"Nothing, I guess. It's just," Her eyes wandered over to the stage, "I think I'm finally ready."

Haku, not understanding what Yume was talking about, but glad to see she'd made some sort of progress with something or another, smiled brightly,

"I'm glad to hear it, Yume."

Yume giggled giddily, tucking the piece of paper away in the top of her dress, then with her heart fluttering like a butterfly she got up from her seat and walked around to Haku.

"Hey, do you want to dance?"

He grinned up at her, nodding,

"Sure!"

So during the next song, Yume walked onto the dance-floor with Haku and the pair danced together quite happily alongside Kimimaro and Temari, and Sakura and Naruto. A part way through the song, Yume left Haku for a short while to go and drag Amaya up to dance, and Hinata who was sitting all alone on the other side of the room, waiting for Tobi. She took them both back to the group of friends dancing, and then they all moved together to dance as one big group, laughing and singing along loudly as the band played up on stage. It was times like these Yume was going to miss the most out on tour. She'd never find a better group of friends.

When the song ended and the next one began, for some odd reason Amaya went missing. Yume, who was stood by Temari, shouted over the noise,

"Where's Amaya gone?"

Temari yelled back, one arm over Kimimaro's shoulder,

"I don't know. She said she had to do something."

"What?"

"I don't know!" She laughed, "Something about a cake, I think."

A cake? Looking around the room to try and spot her friend, Yume did wonder what on earth she was planning. As the music played on, Yume reverted to dancing with her friends, only then, as if on queue with the end of the song, Amaya appeared through the doorway to the hall, carrying a tray the size of a shower-base, on which stood a very large, very cream-covered 'baked Alaska' cake. Amaya was grinning proudly.

"I was- I was up all last night, baking this~!" She said, swaying her way over to the buffet-table. People dived out of her path, knowing she wasn't going to stop for anyone. Yume and the others were watching her curiously, wondering why on earth she'd appeared with this cake.

Once Amaya had put it down on the table, she turned to face anyone who would listen and announced,

"And now, for your eyes only! My baked Alaska! Enjoy!"

Those who had heard her immediately made their way towards the table – knowing fine well that as crazy as Amaya was, her cooking was always brilliant. It came as quite a shock to the first person in the queue when, as they went to cut themselves a slice, Amaya swatted their hand away, glaring.

"No, no, no! I'm not done yet!"

This one phrase, this one teeny tiny phrase caused Yume to stop in her tracks, turning to look at Amaya with her eyes wide.

"Oh no..."

The others around her – Sakura and Temari – stopped too, looking curiously between Yume and Amaya.

"What's the matter?" asked Sakura, seeing Amaya pushing people away from her 'masterpiece'. Without replying, Yume left the others, making her way over to Amaya. "What's going on?" called Sakura, after her.

"Where is it, Amaya?" Yume said, jogging slightly to get to Amaya in time. She'd already produced the bottle of rum.

_**'Damn it!**_'

Amaya saw Yume approaching and grinned as she undid the lid of the bottle. Once it was off she waved frantically,

"You came to see me doing it? Aww, thanks, chuck!"

No, no she hadn't. She'd come to stop Amaya. Amaya had made Baked Alaska many times at home, but a few times, a few tiny times when Yume hadn't been able to persuade her otherwise, Amaya had made something called 'Bombe Alaska'. Those few times, Yume and Amaya had barely made it out alive because Amaya had used too much alcohol, and that had been when Amaya was completely sober. Now... well.

"Amaya, don't you dare!"

This caused a small commotion with the other students, wondering what was about to happen. Yume reached Amaya at the table and managed to pull the bottle of rum from Amaya's grip before the bottle was completely empty, but only just. Amaya turned with a glare,

"What are you doing, woman? Don't ruin my masterpiece on prom!"

"But Amaya!" Yume started – only Amaya grinned and threw her hand over Yume's mouth,

"Don't worry~!" She said in a light, sing-songy kind of voice, "It'll be fine!"

"You don't know what you're saying!" Replied Yume desperately, pulling Amaya's hand from her mouth. The girl giggled and waggled her finger in front of Yume's face,

"Never insult a chef, Yume-kins. We have rolling-pins and knives."

"But-..." All this time, Yume had been trying to spot something on Amaya, but so far she hadn't found it. She frowned, "Amaya, where's the-"

"-BAM!" Amaya suddenly produced a box of matches. Yume took a step back, realising this was even worse than what she'd been expecting.

"Amaya, where's your confectionery blow-torch?"

She laughed, waving the matches about,

"It wouldn't fit in my dress so I had to get the next best thing!"

"But Amaya, they won't work!"

Amaya waved Yume's concern off, opening the box of matches.

"They will, they will...!"

Yume could see now – realising at this moment in time _she_ knew more about cooking than Amaya did – that something very, very, _VERY_ bad was about to happen. She didn't even bother to try and stop her, she simply turned and ran. The others around her, noticing her reaction, decided to follow suit. Amaya watched them go and laughed. She struck the match against the side of the box.

Yume appeared next to her friends, grabbed Haku and Hinata by the hands and started pulling them away towards the fire-escape.

"What's going on?" Kimimaro asked, following the group away from where they'd been dancing. Yume laughed nervously,

"D- don't worry, we'll be fine. We just need some distance."

"From what?"

Yume turned to look back at Amaya just in time to see her drop the lit match. It seemed to fall in slow motion and all the sound from the room seemed to disappear. As the match fell, Amaya's grin widened, right up until-

_BOOM._

Where the cake had been sitting, a large geyser of flames was now spewing out from the tray. Amaya was stood in front of it, laughing like a maniac, her eye ablaze with power. The others in the room – those with any sense at least – decided then and there to evacuate, seeing the flames so high they were already lapping at the curtains. Up on stage the band had stopped playing too; too shocked with what they were seeing. It had just come out of no-where.

The group of friends all turned to Yume with their jaws dropped. She laughed nervously,

"I did _try_ to stop her."

Already smoke and flames were beginning to circulate on the ceiling, causing those on the floor to panic and run about madly as if the many many years of going through fire-drills had been for nothing. They only started to calm a little when – as Tsunade was in amongst those running about; being too drunk herself to cause order – Sasori walked up to the microphone and called out to the room in a calm, collected voice,

"Would everyone please leave the auditorium via the fire-escape on the left hand side of the room? Thank you."

Instantly people started to push through the fire-escape by the side of the stage, so the five on stage decided to join the rush. Yume, back on the ground, decided – since she didn't want her best friend burnt to a cinder – to go back and get Amaya. She wriggled her hand free of Haku's hold, then when the brown-haired boy looked back at her with wide eyes, she said,

"I'm going to get Amaya."

Kimimaro looked back too, Suigetsu slung over his shoulder, and saw Yume running back into the crowd of people. He looked to Haku, then the pair decided they wouldn't be able to stop her, so left the hall with the rest of the group.

Yume had just pushed her way back through the crowd of people, and could see Amaya still staring up at the flames on the ceiling when, as she went to call out her name, a figure appeared next to Amaya instead, causing Yume to stop and smile.

Amaya, her vision speckled with reds, oranges and black, turned her head slowly when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up, only to look into the eyes of Itachi.

"Itachi!" She said happily, turning around to jump on him. She managed to throw her arms around his neck, holding herself to him and swearing never to let go – which in all honesty made it much easier for him. He said quietly to her, wrapping an arm around her back to hold her in place,

"Amaya, that was undoubtedly one of the most stupid things you've done."

She laughed giddily, snuggling her drunken head into the side of his neck,

"Why thank you, 'tachi!"-Itachi stopped himself rolling his eyes-"So why are you here?"

He said, turning to leave the flaming cake with Amaya still attached to him,

"No doubt you're too drunk; you would have stayed in here until the building burnt down."

She laughed loudly in his ear, twirling one of his bangs between her fingers,

"So you came to rescue me?" She hugged him even tighter – if possible, "I knew you were awesome!"

Itachi carried on walking, suppressing a small chuckle.

Yume watched the pair leave into the crowd and laughed. Out of all the possible outcomes of this event, she was just glad _that_ was the one that had happened. She turned and made her way back into the group of people filing from the hall, only as she made her way closer to the door there was a loud crack from behind her where one of the beams had set alight. People behind her started to push their ways to the exit, trying frantically to get outside. In amongst them all, Yume found herself unable to move, and fell backwards into the crowd. People in their dresses and suits stepped around her and some over her to get out. Just then the sprinklers finally came to life, setting off the fire-alarm in the process.

Yume sagged, covering her head to protect herself from feet and water alike.

**'**_**And this, Yume, is what you get for going back to help someone!'**_

_'NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR A LECTURE- Oh!'_

A pair of hands had made their way around Yume's stomach, pulling her up from the ground. When she was upright she looked over her shoulder, seeing Deidara smiling at her through a thicket of wet blonde hair,

"You looked like you needed a hand, yeah!"

"Thanks!" She called back over the sound of the alarm. As he helped to carry her out of the hall, she realised something and called back to him, "Deidara, I need to talk to you!"

He nodded his head, sidestepping a couple of boys who'd turned round to try and get the punch-bowl full of alcohol,

"I know. Hidan said you probably would, yeah!"

A lump shot into Yume's throat,

"W-what?"

He grinned childishly,

"Hold on."

He pushed his way through the crowd, still guiding Yume ahead of him, until the pair were outside on the balcony. Instead of turning down the stairs with the rest of the group, Deidara pushed Yume off to the other side. When they were free of the masses, Deidara finally let go of Yume and smiled at her, wiping his brow,

"Yume, yeah. It's alright, you know? You don't have to worry about me."

Yume fell quiet, wondering what he was talking about. He smiled again, patting her on the shoulder, his grin faltering into a gentle smile, "I... don't mind...- about you and Hidan, that is." He put his other hand on her shoulder and rubbed them comfortingly, "I just want what's best for you, yeah."

"Deidara..." Yume said quietly, seeing a small sign of hurt in his eyes. He shook his head, a grin resurfacing on his face,

"Seriously, I'll be alright, yeah." He laughed, "Just give it a bit of time before you announce the wedding!"

"Deidara!" She nearly choked, "I haven't even agreed to go out with Hidan yet! Stop planning my future!"

He laughed, seeing her panicked face in front of him.

"Oh, sorry."

He continued to smile at her a moment, being quiet, then he startled Yume a little by grabbing her around the shoulders and pulling her forward into him, hugging her tightly. "I'll always be around if you need me though, okay, yeah?"

Yume was a little shocked at first, but then she smiled, relaxing, and wrapped her arms around his back.

"Thank you, Deidara."

He smiled and rested his cheek on top of her hair, hugging her still,

"Don't mention it."

At this point Yume realised the mass of students had almost disappeared by now as they were down in the gardens. Deidara let go of her and grinned, noticing too. He took hold of her hand and turned, saying over his shoulder,

"Let's get a move on before the school burns to the ground then, yeah!" And with this the pair ran down the spiralling fire-escape together, arriving into the large group of teens at the bottom of the staircase. Once there, Deidara said to Yume, letting go of her hand,

"I've got to go check with the guys, yeah. You should go and make sure your friends are okay too."

Yume nodded, watching Deidara turn to leave. As she watched him run into the crowd she felt as if something heavy had been lifted off her. Her heart was light and fluttery again. Now left on her own, Yume decided to go and find Amaya – make sure she hadn't fallen into the pond or anything stupid.

Deidara turned, watching Yume walk away into the crowd, and sighed heavily, running a hand through his damp hair. A figure appeared beside him and patted him on the shoulder.

"Well that was harder than I though, yeah." He turned to look at his red-headed friend. Sasori nodded with a smile, saying,

"You'll feel better about it someday, don't worry."

"Yeah," He said, sighing heavily, "I suppose so." He chuckled, "Hidan owes me though, yeah."

Sasori nodded again, undoing the top button of his suit,

"No doubt he does." He looked at Deidara's face, seeing it still a little hardened, but then he noticed it change as Deidara got a thought into his head,

"Well, I suppose the one good thing about this is," He said, resting his hands behind his head, "If it all goes wrong with Hidan, she can have my shoulder to cry on, yeah." He flashed Sasori a cheeky grin. Sasori rolled his eyes,

"Don't go trying to break them up."

He laughed loudly,

"I won't, I won't. Don't worry, yeah."

Sasori chuckled.

Much further away, at the entrance to the gardens where the teenagers were standing awkwardly, not really knowing what to do, a car suddenly rolled up. Kisame, of all people, got out with a grin on his face. Some of the people there noticed him and wondered what he was up to, so he said aloud to anyone who would listen,

"So I knew something like this would happen," He said, pointing at the top of the school where a small orange flame had started to flicker, "So I thought, what the heck, may as well bring a back-up." He walked round to the back of his car and opened the boot, revealing two very large, probably very powerful speakers. The people around him cheered.

Elsewhere over by the pond, Amaya was stood, spinning around in circles. In her head she could still hear the music so she was dancing to her heart's content. Others around her were pointing and laughing, but she didn't care; she was having great fun. She span and span, around and around, making herself so dizzy she could hardly see any more. Of course with this going on, it came as no surprise when Amaya – too blinded by drunkenness – managed to trip over a rock, falling into the pond - however it was only when she was but a few inches away from having her face pelted with ice-cold water that she stopped falling. She blinked curiously. A voice from above her said,

"Why is it you always manage to get into trouble when I leave you alone?"

The pair of arms that were wrapped around her middle pulled her up to a standing position, then they turned her around so Amaya could look at Itachi properly, her eyes sparkling gleefully.

"H- hi again, Itachi."

He nodded at her, his eyes softer than normal.

"Hello, Amaya."

The pair turned suddenly, hearing a song start to play out from the speakers in Kisame's car.

"Appropriate!" Amaya laughed, hearing the opening to Aerosmith's 'I don't want to miss a thing'. As the introduction continued, Amaya slowly began to feel herself swaying, but then she realised it wasn't that she was rocking herself... Itachi was swaying with her. She looked up into Itachi's eyes, confused, but he leaned down and rested his head on top of hers, holding her to him. Amaya squealed with delight, only making him smile.

Yume was out in an open part of the garden; quite close to the speakers now, having given up on trying to find Amaya a short while ago.

_'She can look after herself, she'll be fine!'_

With nothing else to do – unable to find any of her friends for the past few minutes - Yume started to rock in time to the music. She loved this song so much, and it was so nice to see the genuine couples swaying together, held in each other's arms.

As Steven Tyler began to sing the famous lyrics, a finger tapped lightly on Yume's shoulder. She turned, coming face-to-face with who she hoped it would be. A smile spread out on her lips as those damn butterflies started building up in her stomach,

"Hi, Hidan."

He nodded, smiling at her; his wet hair clinging to his face,

"Hey, Blondie."

She laughed at the little pet-name, not bothering to try and stop him calling her it. She could see in his eyes that same softness they'd held from back up on the balcony. Hidan stepped forward, clearing his throat a little awkwardly, then he held out his hand,

"Yume, would you... like to dance with me?"

Yume felt the heat rush to her cheeks. She looked away from Hidan, down at her hands; which only made him smile, then she muttered quietly,

"Y-yes... I'd love to."

He grinned again, inwardly letting out a sigh of relief, then stepped forward and took hold of one of Yume's hands. He entwined his fingers with hers, walking across to the centre of the open area of garden. As well as glancing between Hidan's back and the grassy ground, Yume couldn't help but notice a few people had stopped talking to watch what was going on; Sakura, she noted, being one of them. Her eyes had turned into sparkling balls, her hands clasped together in front of her face as she cooed, nudging Naruto away from his conversation to look. Yume giggled, blushing.

Hidan stopped walking and turned, smiling at Yume again. Her cheeks still felt hot, and Yume knew they looked it too because Hidan leaned forward and whispered to her, grinning cheekily,

"Is it hot out here, or is that just me?"

Yume laughed, smacking him on the shoulder before he could pull away properly.

"That's such a cheesy line, Hidan!"

He grinned, glad he'd managed to distract her from the people watching,

"It got you laughing, though!"

She smiled, sticking her tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes at her, then when her cheeks had turned a little less flushed he reached forward and took hold of her hands. Guiding her forward, he reached up and put her hands onto his shoulders then he laced his own hands around her waist, holding her as close to him as he dared. He didn't want to go and make her uncomfortable and have her run off.

As the song continued to play, Hidan began to sway them both to the music, turning them both as he did. He looked down at Yume, seeing her face slightly pink, and chuckled, leaning down to have his face in line with hers,

"Try not to be nervous; I won't bite, you know."

She giggled and pursed her lips, inwardly genuinely surprised by how much she was enjoying this; held in Hidan's arms. Just away from her, where Sakura had managed to find Temari and Kimimaro, she pointed to the pair dancing in the garden, then called loudly,

"Go on, Yume! At-ta girl!" Sakura noticed Yume's face crack into an embarrassed grin, then she turned to Naruto and said excitedly,

"Come on, let's join 'em."

Naruto nodded enthusiastically,

"Sure!"

The pair headed out into the garden - and this seemed to trigger something in the others because Temari and Kimimaro followed, along with Tobi and Hinata, and others like Neji and Tenten. Yume, looking over Hidan's shoulder, noticed Tobi approaching rapidly and braised herself. Hidan, feeling her tense up, looked down,

"You okay?"

She nodded her head, tightening her hands on Hidan's shoulders as she saw Tobi bounding over; his grin taking up most of his face. She giggled, muttering to Hidan,

"Sorry..."

For a moment Hidan took this the wrong way and paused in their dancing, but then he felt something run into his back and a pair of arms made their way around Hidan's neck. Yume backed off, laughing.

"Look at you two~!" Tobi sang happily, "Tobi thinks you look adorable!"

Seeing Yume not holding onto him any more, and Tobi holding him instead, Hidan found it very hard to hold his composure. He breathed heavily, the vein on his forehead growing bigger and bigger with every breath.

"Tobi," He said, his eyes closed in contemplation, "If you don't let go of me right now..." He clenched his fists, "I'm going to-"

Hidan never managed to finish his sentence because Tobi had just been ripped from his neck. He looked over his shoulder to see both Kisame and Hinata holding onto Tobi – the latter looking somewhat embarrassed.

"S-s-sorry..." She muttered, pulling Tobi away. Hidan watched them go, an eyebrow raised,

"Don't mention it...?" He turned back to Yume to hear her laughing. "And what's so fucking funny?"

She put her hand over her mouth, trying her best to shut herself up.

"Nothing," She muttered from between her fingers, "You just..." She let out a burst of giggles, "You should have seen your face."

Hidan smirked and walked forward again, taking hold of Yume around the waist. He was about to pick up her hands again but found he didn't have to because she laced them around his neck first, holding herself close. He looked at her, quite shocked, so she smiled at him and said softly,

"I don't have to be scared of contact all the time."

He felt his own cheeks hotting up slightly so he tried to brush it off, resting his head on top of hers. Below his chin Yume had her head resting against Hidan's chest, listening to his heart-beat slow down again. It made her smile; comforted that she wasn't the only one nervous about this. That one step of wrapping her arms around him had been struggle enough, but now that she was so close she knew it had been worth it.

It made her wonder what taking more chances would be like. Thinking this alone made her heart flutter. She knew Hidan liked her but to finally be able to admit it herself... she just didn't know how.

Just as she finished thinking this to herself she felt Hidan's heart-beat start to quicken, and quite a lot. She wondered what on earth he was thinking about but then Hidan lifted his chin from atop her head and slackened his arms from around her waist, pulling back slightly to be able to look at her properly. She noticed a playful expression on his face but beneath it there was a tiny look of panic. He said, talking just loud enough to be heard over the music,

"Hey, Yume. You never answered me before," he edged a little closer, wrapping his arms around Yume a little tighter, "will you...?" he trailed off, thinking it over in his head, realising it sounded so strange asking it out loud. Yume, however, had gotten the gist.

She felt her own heart-beat pace up again; threatening to beat out of her ribcage. Well now she knew she had to admit something. She tried to keep her breath steady, a smile surfacing on her face, but as she'd never been in this situation before she couldn't help but stammer. Now that it came down to the question Yume's cheeks flushed again and she couldn't look Hidan straight in the eye any more. He chuckled to himself, seeing her reaction. He'd gotten her answer.

She gulped; not even her brain able to calm her down any more. She looked away and took a breath, and then another, closed her eyes and then one more, she opened her eyes and turned to Hidan – only his lips brushed against hers before she could reply. Yume was so surprised she didn't even hear the gasps from her other friends; all she could hear was her heart-beat as loud as a drum. Hidan held her, his lips barely touching hers and his arms wrapped tighter around her waist than ever before. He pulled away a moment later, leaving a tingle on her lips. Yume couldn't speak; she didn't want to speak; she didn't even want to move. All around her people were muttering and murmuring to one-another but she couldn't hear them - locked inside a bubble made for her and Hidan alone. She could hear his breathing; more rapid and uncontrolled than before.

He gave a shaky breath, smiling wider than he'd done in such a long time. He whispered to her, his face so close to her own,

"Pull away if you don't want this."

She stood where she was. Nothing could make her move now.

Hidan finally had the reassurance he needed; there was no doubt left in his mind. He leaned forward again, pulling Yume to him in the same process, and then, in the middle of the garden with hundreds of eyes watching, Hidan locked his lips with hers; an invisible explosion of emotions erupting in front of everyone. A jolt of warmth rushed through Yume's body from her lips, making her body tingle with affection. Hidan held her close, almost suffocatingly to try and make his long-hidden feelings get across the tiny gap between their lips. Yume, unable to lift her now-lead-like arms to around his neck, wrapped them around his stomach instead - finally, _finally_ sure of her choice. As she held Hidan as close as she could she knew she would be happy with him.

Away from the couple, dotted here and there, Amaya and the others cheered and whistled along with many others Yume couldn't even name. Those from Akatsuki jeered and wolf-whistled – jokingly of course. They were happy for Hidan; happy for Yume. Kisame, over at the car, didn't even have the heart to ruin the moment by setting fire to the approaching rose-bushes. They could wait.

As the final notes of the song played out, Hidan drew back, looking down at Yume, and chuckled when he noticed her red-flushed cheeks. She smiled back at him, and then, after giggling like a little child for a few moments, she leaned forward and pressed her head to his chest, wrapping her arms tightly around his stomach again. He reached up her back and stroked her hair affectionately, kissing the top of her head to have her smile into his chest. They were both so elated that they couldn't even _see_ the flashing cameras, let alone care for them.

* * *

_Me__: Oh no people, don't think you're getting off this easy. If you think I'm being quiet this chapter, just wait 'til the next one...- Hope you enjoyed._

_X-Deidara's Lover-X_


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I don't own the Akatsuki or any one else from Naruto

Claimer: Yume and Amaya are _MINE_! Hands off!

Me: Well here ends Rock Angel. Two years, eleven months and ten days (because I procrastinated)! For the final time this story, from both me and Deidara: ENJOY THIS CHAPTER!

* * *

Chapter 22

The morning after prom it was a surprise when Yume found herself being woken up by heavy sunlight rather than Amaya's loud snoring. She cracked open an eye, looking blearily at her bedroom window and the late morning sky outside. In her head she cursed, feeling the light burning her eyes, making her head pound – she'd forgotten to close the curtains last night. She went to crawl out of bed to close them; her head banging in pain, only she noticed that something around her middle was stopping her. She looked down, noticing a pair of arms.

_'Hmm... that's odd,'_ She thought, _'Amaya's arms have definitely gotten muscle-ier since the last time I checked...'_

She went to pull them from around her waist, still half asleep, but when she took hold of them and started to untangle herself, the deep grunt of disapproval stopped her in her tracks. She looked down at the arms again, trying to blink herself awake as it slowly dawned on her.

_'Not Amaya then...'_ She scrunched up her eyes, hoping when she opened them she'd be able to see clearly, _'So...'_ She opened her eyes, and, now able to see things without a slightly fuzzy blur, she sank back into the bed and rolled over, only to see two maroon eyes looking back at her. Next came a loud shriek, bedsheets flying about, and loud laughter.

"Yume, calm the fuck down! It's me!"

Yume – now kneeling on the bed with a pillow raised above her head in some sort of pitiful defence – faltered slightly, seeing Hidan lying in her bed, one hand in front of his face where she'd tried to attack him a moment ago.

_**'… WHY IS HE-'**_

_'-WHEN DID HE-'_

_**'-HOW COME HE'S-'**_

_**'**__-WHAT THE-'_

_**'… Oh wait.'**_

As Yume's memory slowly started to kick itself into gear, Hidan, still lying quite comfortably in her bed, watched with an amused expression as her face went through the stages of panic, curiosity, happiness, then utter horror in a split second. With her face frozen in this last emotion, he asked, chuckling,

"What the fuck's up with you?"

Yume was staring wide-eyed, her jaw dropped. It had come to her attention as she'd been staring at Hidan, trying to figure out what was going on, that Hidan – she gulped nervously – was missing some clothing. How much clothing she couldn't tell, but she wasn't about to look under the covers to find out. She was happy Hidan was here, there was no doubt about that, but something in the back of her head wanted to kill him right now. Slow and painfully. He seemed to notice,

"Yume, seriously, still breathing in there? Are you going to put that pillow down, or what?" - he was having a very hard time figuring out what the problem was. Yume, on the other hand, suddenly snapped and brought her arms down hard, sending the pillow crashing into Hidan's face. He let out a yell,

"Yume! What the-"

Yume yelled over him, throwing the pillow as hard as she could,

"_WHAT THE HELL DID WE DO LAST NIGHT? WHERE'S YOUR SHIRT? WHAT HAPP-_" Hidan caught hold of the pillow and jerked it towards him, bringing Yume crashing into his chest. She lay there, dazed, then as she tried to get back up with a slightly blush on her face, Hidan snaked his arms around her waist, holding her there with the pillow purposefully trapped between them.

"It's alright. It's alright. Don't fucking panic."

Yume looked at him, an eyebrow raised cautiously,

"Well then what happened?"

He smirked playfully, reaching up to ruffle her messy blonde hair,

"Don't worry. We didn't do anything, Blondie." He watched her tilt her head and continued, "After what happened I just brought you home, got you changed, tucked you in and made myself comfortable," he gestured to his shirtless body then smirked again, "Is that such a fucking crime?"

Yume's heart-beat - that a moment ago could have rivalled the speed of a cheetah – slowly started to crawl its way back down to what it should be as Yume started to calm herself. She took a deep shaky breath, at which Hidan chuckled,

"Hell Yume, I didn't know you were _that_ drunk." He leaned forward, touching his nose to hers, smiling, "Forget about anything else last night? A certain confession, maybe? A kiss? That we're going out, I don't know?"

Yume laughed, managing to pull one of her hands free, and poked Hidan in the shoulder,

"Oh ha-ha, funny." She rolled over, leaning her back against his chest, "Don't worry, I remember practically everything, right up to when Itachi finally snapped and threw Tobi in the pond."

Hidan laughed loudly, causing Yume to wince as her head started to pulse again. She mumbled something under her breath then reached up behind her and fumbled around to try and cover Hidan's mouth. He laughed again, noticing, but tried to quieten himself down,

"Hangover?"

Yume rolled over, burying her head in the pillow by Hidan's stomach,

"Possibly," She groaned in a muffled voice, "I've never had one before so I wouldn't know."

"Seriously?"

Yume lifted her head up, her face resembling what most people assume death to look like, then nodded slowly,

"I usually stay sober to look after Amaya."

As Hidan started to talk about how Yume had been missing out on life, a thought began to dawn on her. Come to mention it, where was Amaya? Like she'd realised before, Amaya hadn't woken her up this morning. Where was she then?

"Hey, Hidan," She said, cutting Hidan's 'live life to the full' speech short, "Did Amaya come home with us last night?"

He thought back to last night, picking himself up in the bed slightly to make himself more comfortable as he did. Now with his back resting against the backboard he said,

"No, don't think so. I didn't see her after that Lee kid started stripping and everyone ran off."

Yume didn't even want to ask.

"Oh..." she looked about her room, hoping for some indication of where Amaya was, but alas all she saw was a set of walls coated in posters, and a floor covered in clothes. Damn. "We need to go and look for her." - this was said with Yume's face now pressed into Hidan's stomach because she'd thrown the pillow off the bed in frustration as it wasn't making her feel any better. Hidan rolled his eyes, ruffling Yume's hair gently,

"She can look after herself."

Yume shook her head, tickling Hidan's stomach,

"No. She'll have a hangover. She'll kill someone if they're not careful."

Hidan chuckled,

"Yeah, that sounds like her – fuckin' nut-case."

Yume lifted her hand up in an attempt to hit Hidan in the face for insulting her friend, but she just didn't have the energy. Instead she rolled off Hidan, rolled over to the other side of her bed, gathered up the covers and threw them over her head. Hidan laughed, hearing her mumble angrily,

"Make the light go away!"

Well, he couldn't do that for her, but he _could_ help her feel better. He, the master at beating hangovers, got up, slipping out of bed, then turned to look at the lump of duvets as he ran a hand through his morning hair,

"Just stay here, I'll go grab you something."

He heard no protest from Yume.

Clad in only a pair of boxers, he left Yume in bed and made his way from the room, shaking his head about to wake himself as he walked. He made his way past the bathroom then paused in his shaking as he glanced at another door. The empty bedroom. Judging by the dust even on the door handle, he knew she hadn't ventured inside yet.

Hidan didn't think over it any further, knowing it was Yume's decision in the end. He took the last few steps along the hallway then down the stairs, through the living-room and into the kitchen. Once there he looked about curiously, trying to figure out where everything was. He picked the cupboard closest to him and opened it, but growled, seeing it full of cups and bowls. The next one he came to brought the same reaction – containing cereal-boxes. He pulled back from the wall and looked about, scratching the back of his head as he yawned,

"Where the hell do they keep the- AH-HA!" He ran forward, seeing the small green box with the white cross, lying on the worktop. He pulled it towards him and popped open the lid, only to let out a loud cry of pain,

"FUCKING HELL, WHO THE HELL PUTS SPRING-BACK KNIVES IN A FIRST-AID KIT?"

Hidan had barely dodged two knives; one flying past either side of his neck, and a third had managed to graze the top of his ear. They were now wedged into the opposing wall.

"Two fuckin' guesses at who's idea that was. Fuck!" He mumbled, rubbing his ear. He turned his attention back to the first-aid kit with murderous eyes, but just as he was about to break it into many small pieces a quiet voice in the doorway asked,

"Hidan, are you okay? I heard you yell."

He turned his head quickly, seeing Yume stood just away in the living-room in her dressing-gown, looking petrified.

"Oh fuck, sorry Yume." He pointed over his shoulder at the wall of knives, "But what the fuck are they for?"

Yume, seeing Hidan wasn't in mortal danger, laughed quietly then sauntered into the kitchen, over to said wall. She unstuck the knives, then as she straightened them in her grip she said,

"Amaya put them in there."

"I would never have guessed..."

"Well," she continued, seeing Hidan wanting more of a description than just 'it's Amaya, what else can you expect?' - "I always end up hurting myself in the kitchen so she said if she put knives in the first-aid kit it'd stop me wanting to cook, just in case I hurt myself and had to use the first-aid kit," She pointed to Hidan's slightly bleeding ear, "Or I'd end up like that."

Hidan chuckled, scratching at his neck with an absent-minded hand,

"Interesting way of thinking about it."

Yume smiled, then noticing Hidan had rounded on the first-aid box again, she asked quickly,

"So how come you're looking in there, anyway?"

He replied over his shoulder,

"I was looking for some aspirin for you."

"Aww, really?" Her eyes glistened with thanks, only she laughed a second later, realising Hidan's pain was in vain, "Well then you were looking in the wrong place."

"You fucking what?" He turned, his face looking appalled by this information to which Yume giggled. She turned to the cupboard next to her and opened it, retrieving a small box of tablets,

"We keep them in here."

Hidan grumbled incoherently. Yume set the three knives down then as she opened the small aspirin-box and popped one of the tablets from its container, she said, glancing in Hidan's direction before throwing the tablet into her mouth,

"It was a lovely thought though, so thank you."

She opened another cupboard and pulled out a cup, then filled it up with water at the sink. Hidan watched her do this, then as he felt a wetness on the tip of his ear he glanced back at the first-aid kit. He reached down cautiously – expecting something else to jump out at him – then when nothing did he retrieved the roll of plasters. He pulled them from the box then as he wrapped one over the top of his ear, he grumbled – loud enough for Yume to hear,

"When Amaya shows up, I'm going to show her what it's like to be attacked with a fuckin' knife."

Yume laughed into her drink.

"Good luck."

Hidan raised an eyebrow, putting the plasters back in the box,

"What? You don't think I could take her?"

Yume shrugged in a way that only ever meant 'that's exactly what I meant',

"Maybe."

Hidan folded his arms, grinning smugly,

"Clearly you've never been in a fight with me before."

"And I don't plan to!" Yume retorted, laughing at the thought. She'd be flattened like a pancake in 0.2 seconds.

"Heh, good answer," Hidan replied lazily, stretching his arms up above his head, "Now," He yawned, "Let's get back to bed. I'm fucking knackered."

"But it's nearly midday."

"So? We were up late. I don't care."

"You're lazy."

"You love it," he replied with a wink cutting Yume off, her face flushed slightly.

"Shut up," She said, keeping her head low as she made her way towards Hidan, then pushed him in the stomach to back him up, heading back into the living-room. His face lit up.

"So we're going back to bed then?"

She giggled to herself, hearing Hidan so excited with the prospect of bed.

"Sure."

The pair left the living-room and headed back upstairs, Yume leading the way. Hidan was walking behind her, a grin still fixed in place; as much as he would like to have removed it by now. Hidan hated wearing goofy grins – it made him feel queasy just thinking about it. Stupid grins were Tobi's thing, and no way on earth was he having a grin like Tobi's! He was- _UMPH._

Hidan pulled back from Yume, laughing that he'd accidentally walked straight into her.

"Sorry, Blondie."

"It's okay," Yume wasn't really paying attention. She'd stopped walking, her eyes staring at the door to her old parents' bedroom. Hidan, realising what she was looking at, put a hand on her shoulder,

"Hey, don't worry about i-"

"Can we..." Hidan stopped, seeing Yume's uncertain eyes. A pulse on her neck was beating hard, showing a sudden nervousness. She gulped, "Can we go inside?"

Hidan looked at the door, then back at Yume, his eyebrow raised in surprise,

"Y-yeah," He laughed, trying to lighten the sudden mood-change, "Sure we can. Why though?"

She never took her eyes from the door,

"I think I should. I-... It's just an empty room. I can't be afraid of an empty room."

In the back of Hidan's mind, a witty and wonderful comeback popped up, only Hidan had more sense and beat that comeback down with a mallet. Now was not the time for jokes that would get him beaten up!

"That's fair enough."

He saw her nod, then she slowly reached her hand out to him, still looking at the door,

"I haven't been inside in a little while so," she took hold of his hand and squeezed it tightly, "Sorry if it's a little dusty."

Hidan squeezed back, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles gently,

"You know, I _think_ I can forgive you."

Her eyes flickered back to him, a hint of laughter in them, but quickly reverted to the door looking more nervous than ever. She stayed still, her hand slowly growing tighter around Hidan's. All she had to do was take hold of the handle and twist. She'd done it hundreds of times before with hundreds of doors. This one couldn't be any different, could it? Even with this in mind, as Yume brought her hand up and wrapped it around the doorknob, she felt her fingers quivering.

The handle was cold, coated in a thick layer of dust that lifted in a small cloud when her fingers connected with the metal, pooling up around them. She left herself fixated with this; almost distracting herself as best she could, but with Hidan watching without a word behind her she knew she had to do this. She couldn't exactly back out now and get laughed at forever by him for not opening a door. Although in the very back of her mind she knew Hidan wouldn't do that to her, she needed an excuse in her head to power her through, so with the image of Hidan laughing and poking her in the head, she wrapped her hand tighter around the handle and twisted – gaining a loud creaking sound from the rusted doorknob.

Yume let go of the handle and the door swung open of its own accord, revealing the darkened room behind it. Before Yume even walked in the musty smell of the room hit her, making her nose wrinkle. Her hand wrapped tighter around Hidan's and she took a step forward, stopping in the door-frame. Feeling her pulse beating hard again she struck up what courage she had and took one more step into the room, peering inside. Her insides tightened as she feared what she would find in the room; what she would see and what memories it would bring up, but Hidan came up behind her and folded his arms around her waist; cradling her to give her moral support.

"You okay, Blondie?"

Yume nodded her head, staring vacantly at the room – or what was left of it at least. Along the walls and the ceiling the wallpaper had peeled away; left in flakes across the red carpet, along with dead insects and dust-bunnies. A tall mirror stood at the other side of the room by the curtained window, opaque from grime and rusted brown. There was, to the left of the room, a large oak unit with a wardrobe and shelves, with a small chair in front that only seemed affected by the dust, but for the strangest reason Yume got the feeling that if she sat in the chair it would crumble away beneath her.

"I'm fine." She replied softly, still surveying the scene in front of her. The room hadn't been lived in for years, and anyone could tell. It had been abandoned a long time ago. It _had_ belonged to someone a while ago, but now, Yume finally understood, it was just an empty room.

Yume's hand slipped from Hidan's as she clenched her fist, then she took another step forward, and then another, and another until she was stood in the middle of the darkness, looking about again. She was breathing heavily; triumphantly, as if she'd just completed a marathon. She turned back to the door, looking at Hidan's silhouette. She stayed quiet, but then, after realising it herself she said, no louder than a whisper,

"I did it." She felt her heart-beat quicken again as she said it, and then she said it again louder, more excitedly, "Hidan, I did it." Her heart started to flutter – not from love but from happiness alone, "Hidan, I'm in here!" She jumped – literally from joy – and punched the air; just the way Amaya had taught her to. When she landed on the ground however a large dust-cloud pooled up around her legs, rising until it made her cough. Hidan, seeing this as the all-clear to enter himself, walked through the darkness, up to Yume and scooped her up in his arms, spinning her round,

"That's my girl."

Once he'd made sure she was completely and utterly dizzy he set her back on her feet, laughing when she fell over, then walked over to the window at the other side of the room.

"I think we better get some fucking light in this place though! Clear out the moths, as they say!" He took hold of the threadbare curtains and pulled them apart – accidentally ripping them from the railings instead but nevertheless it gave the same effect as he'd intended. "Wow, this place is a fucking dump!"

Now with light shining into the room, Hidan could see how a lack of fresh-air had wilted the place. Everything, to put it simply, was yellow. The ceiling; the walls; the bed-sheets; the pillows; the curtains (although they were more moth-eaten than anything else); the chair-cushions, everything looked as if it would take better residence in Miss Havisham's mansion along side the rotted wedding-cake and the dead balloons.

"You, uhh... planning on living in here sometime soon? It might kill you." He joked. Yume took her eyes away from the double-bed, smiling towards him.

"Well I suppose I'll have to at some point," She noticed Hidan raise an eyebrow, "Well me and Amaya can't keep alternating between my bed and the sofa forever."

Hidan shrugged, a playful expression playing on his lips,

"You could always kick the bitch out?"

Yume laughed, making her way across to him,

"What, and have her whining at me for the rest of my life? No thank you." She pushed Hidan to the side with her hip, then leant up and took hold of the widow, then, with a bit of a shove she managed to open it, letting the room breathe properly for the first time in years. She took a deep breath herself, having felt a little stuffy. She looked back at the room again, running a hand through her hair,

"Eight years of dusts and bugs..." She said this more to herself than anyone else, "Makes me sort of wish I'd gotten in here seven years sooner." She heard Hidan chuckle, so, seeing this as a good an opportunity as ever, she turned to him, giving him the biggest eyes she could muster. He noticed.

"What do you want...?"

"Well," She clapped her hands together, "fancy helping me clean?"

Hidan would have said no – he was tired – but he noticed a strange glint showing up in Yume's eyes that he'd only ever seen once before; the morning after her house party. That time she'd gone crazy with a set of sponges, a mop, a bucket and a hell of a lot of soap.

"Sure, why the fuck not?" He said, running a hand up through his hair, "It's not like I've got to be anywhere else today anyway!" He was lying. He had six missed calls on his phone already from Akatsuki telling him he was missing band practice. Ah well. Sucks to them.

Yume grinned, jumping up to hug Hidan around the neck,

"Great!" He caught her and span her around again. Whilst in mid-air she called, suddenly turning serious... or as serious as she could be in her almost giddy state, "Let's get going!"

Over the next few hours all Yume and Hidan did was clean - Well, clean as in, Yume scrubbed the carpet; the walls; dusted the units; cleaned the mirror; hoovered the floors and the window sill; stripped the bed; cleared the hoards of cobwebs; and washed the windows, and Hidan changed the light-bulb. In his defence, he said it was so that Yume could "take more pride in clearing away all those shitty memories and everything" associated with the room. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact he was still way too tired to be bothered to do anything. He was doing Yume a favour.

When it came to four o'clock in the afternoon however, Yume had finally persuaded Hidan to help out. She was having a relax; stretched out on the now fresh-sheeted bed, watching an upside-down version of Hidan pull the bin-bag from the vacuum cleaner. She grinned, flipping over to look at him properly,

"We've got more bin-bags down in the kitchen."

He looked over his shoulder, rising to his feet with the dirt-filled bin-bag in one hand,

"Got it."

She smiled gratefully at him, to which he rolled his eyes, smirking, then left the room. Yume sighed and rolled onto her back again.

Hidan shut the door behind him; reminding himself as he heard the creak to get the hinges oiled at some point, then walked along the corridor with the bag of dirt in hand. He walked down the stairs, through the living-room and into the kitchen, where he opened the bin and dropped the bag in unceremoniously. As he closed the lid with his foot, dusting his hands off, he started to look about, wondering where these other bin-bags were. Again he realised, just like last time with the aspirin, he had no idea where they were. God damn it, he should have learned by now to ask Yume where things were before he went off to find them!

Like last time, Hidan bent down and opened a cupboard, starting off the whole 'pick a random drawer and hope for the best' approach. As he made his way around the room, cursing each time he didn't find the right cupboard, a loud knock at the door cut him off. He looked about the kitchen, expecting something to happen, only when it didn't and the knock came again, a little louder, he grunted, picked himself up then marched his way back through the living-room to the main hall. He wasn't used to answering doors. He spent most of his life these days either in a dorm-room with Kakuzu or on a tour-bus with the band. Other people usually answered the door for him.

He scratched the back of his head, yawning loudly as he approached the front door. He put one hand on the door-handle then wrenched the door open. He blinked. Eyes blinked back at him. There was a pause.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE, YOU DICK HEAD? WHERE'S YUME?"

"WHERE THE FUCKING HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?"

"Answer me first or I swear I'm going to beat you shitless!"

"Answer me first because Yume wants to know!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE WANTS TO KNOW? HOW WOULD YOU KNOW? WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO HER?"

Hidan clamped his hands over his ears, turning on his heel to march away from the door where a very pissed-looking Amaya was standing, her eyes blazing with rage. It was at this moment, with Hidan facing away from her, that he missed the second person arrive at the door, and then, as luck would have it, Yume appeared at the top of the staircase in her pyjamas and an apron, calling,

"What's going on?"

"Yume!" cried Amaya happily, throwing her arms into the air. She ran forward into the main-hall as Yume walked down the stairs, then before the blonde hit the last step Amaya grabbed her and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, "Last night was so amazing! You'll never guess what happened! Eee, it was so awesome, woman! BEST NIGHT EVER!"

As Amaya continued in this same fashion, Hidan, seeing Yume momentarily unavailable, turned to the other person in the hallway, looking at them for the first time properly. He almost creased over laughing,

"Pah! Fucking hell, Itachi! What the fuck happened to you last night?"

Itachi, after turning to close the door behind him, turned back to look at Hidan, his face as monotone as ever. Covering one eyes, bright and shining, was a deep purple, slightly yellowing black-eye. Hidan's outburst drew the attention of both Yume and Amaya who in turn looked towards Itachi. Yume, seeing her friend's face, gasped and ran forward to him, only Amaya grabbed her by the back of her cleaning-apron, stopping her. Her face was sheepish.

"Well you see," She said, letting go of Yume, then pushed past her to walk towards Itachi, "It's kind of my fault." She turned on the spot next to him, grinning cheekily back at Yume. That's when Itachi put a gentle hand on her shoulder. He looked down, the tiniest of smirks dusting his lips,

"_Kind of_ your fault?"

She snickered.

"I said I was sorry!"

"I know, I know." Itachi cooed softly, slipping one hand around her waist. Hidan's jaw dropped.

"You and _her_! Seriously?"

Amaya ceased in her ogling of Itachi to glare at Hidan,

"And why is that so hard to believe, dick-head?"

He shrugged in response, walking over to Yume at the bottom of the staircase, slipping his own arms around her middle to show he had someone new too. Amaya's eyebrow twitched, but seeing Yume smile with her cheeks flushed pink she sighed heavily and let it drop.

"You two are official then?" asked Itachi, shifting his weight to one leg, looking more to Hidan for an answer. Hidan smirked again,

"Too fucking right we are!" - at this Yume giggled childishly, nodding in agreement. Amaya crossed her arms, heaving the biggest sigh she could to get her point of disapproval across. Itachi chuckled softly,

"Don't pout, Amaya."

She turned, looking at him with affectionate eyes, then slipped her arms up around his neck, pulling him closer. As they were about to share in 'a kiss that would have stopped the world turning' (said Amaya later on) Yume cleared her throat. With Itachi's lips mere inches away from her own, Amaya turned, looking somewhat betrayed by Yume,

"And what would you like now?"

Yume, knowing she'd be beaten to death later for interrupting, pointed towards Itachi's face again,

"The black-eye?"

"Oh!" Amaya's face lit up and it seemed as though she didn't mind having her kiss interrupted now, "Well you see last night after prom, when everyone else was running away from Lee, me and Itachi hopped it back to his place and made sweet, swee-" Itachi's hand swiftly covered her lips, cutting her long and detailed description short; knowingly saving Yume's ears from bleeding. He continued with a much briefer version,

"The next morning..."

-(Flashback)-

_Amaya rolled over on the bed, the drum in her head beating louder than a marching-band. Her head was pounding, her legs were aching, she felt sick, and to top it off there was a horrible cold chill running over her legs- Wait, hold on. Amaya's eyes snapped open. The first thing she saw, to her horror, was her prom-dress folded neatly in a red armchair just away from her. She looked down and pulled the covers up. She was wearing a large baggy t-shirt – not one of hers. She looked around the room; her headache making her squint. She wasn't in her – sorry, _Yume's_ – room. What the hell was going on! She couldn't remember anything from last night. Dancing, guys in suits, something to do with Vegas, nothing really stuck out in her memory that could help her figure out why she was here... wherever here was. Where was here? She had no idea. Oh __**God**__ what had she done last night?_

_A noise occurred to her as she was trying to rearrange things in her mind; it wasn't a loud noise, in fact it was barely audible over the sound of her own head-ache, but nevertheless it was there. A sound that for a short while, when her mind was still waking, made her believe she was lying on a beach by the tide. She realised she wasn't... eventually. The sound she had first thought to be waves against the shore turned out to be nothing more than breathing. It was close. From her position on the bed Amaya shot her eyes about, looking for the culprit of the breathing but couldn't see them. The next moment she held her own breath, making sure it wasn't just her. It wasn't. Finally, through much deduction she came to realise the noise was coming from the other side of her on the bed. A lump hit her throat as she realised. Like a horrible jolt of pain, the truth of what had happened last night hit her. She couldn't remember much – well actually she couldn't remember anything at all, but she knew what must have gone on last night. She'd been drunk, there had been __**so**__ many guys there, and now she was some place unknown, wearing a t-shirt that wasn't even her own. It wasn't too hard to put it together._

_A bead of sweat ran down Amaya's face, her pulse racing. The person who had... who had done __**that**__ to her – taken advantage of her – he was sleeping in the bed next to her. Amaya's fist clenched. No. No way in hell was this guy getting away with it. She'd been trying damn hard to save herself for that special someone, and dear God this guy was going to pay for taking that away._

_A hand touched her shoulder._

"_Amaya," Whispered the voice. The cage for her inner-monster – which had only just been rebuilt – shattered. She turned over, pulling herself up in the same motion with her fist raised. She brought it down again at full swing. Thwack._

"_AUUUGHHHH!" She yelled, bringing her hand down again into the boy's face, "Don't you even say my name you bastard!" She screamed, ignoring her pounding hangover to get the point across. She threw her fist again, getting him square-on once more. As she brought her fist down for the forth time she got a look at the face of the one she was hitting, "Itachi!" Thwack. "Crap! Sorry! Oh God sorry Itachi!"_

_Itachi sat up holding his bleeding nose, trying his best to stop it spilling on his nice white bedsheets. There was a bruise forming up around his left eye where she'd landed her first punch._

"_Good morning to you too, Amaya. I hope you had a nice sleep." The funny thing was, he said the last part with sincerity. Amaya dived forward into Itachi's lap, pulling his hands away from his face to see what damage she'd done._

"_Itachi, I am so sorry! I seriously didn't know it was you!"_

_He smiled, cupping one hand under his chin to catch the drip,_

"_I'm glad. For a moment I thought you were just trying to tell me we should see other people."_

_Amaya completely missed the hint of a joke, her jaw having dropped to where her chin usual was._

"_See other people...? Wait, that means we're...-DAMN IT- owww, hangover Amaya..." She rubbed her head, clenching her eyes shut. "For once in my life I wish I hadn't drunk as much! I probably would have liked to have remembered last night." She peeped open one eye, looking to Itachi, who nodded in agreement. She cursed._

_Itachi got up from the bed, wearing only his black boxers with the little red cloud in the corner (because who wouldn't want those boxers?), deciding that his hand could no longer contain the amount of red spilling from his nose. No doubt later he'd have to go to the school-nurse to check Amaya hadn't broken it. He walked through to the en-suite, tipping his head back as he went. Amaya laughed nervously, watching him go,_

"_Sorry, Itachi! I didn't mean it!"_

_She heard a muffled "it's alright" then fell back on the bed, holding clumps of the shirt she was wearing in her hands, a smile setting into place on her lips. She sighed happily – although a little pissed with herself for not being able to remember what had obviously been an AMAZING night – then pulled the blanket back up, waiting for Itachi to return._

-(Flashback end)-

Amaya was laughing nervously again from the looks Yume and Hidan were giving her, Itachi's head resting gently on top of hers with his hands wrapped protectively around her waist. She mumbled a meek,

"It was an accident."

Itachi kissed the top of her hair,

"Don't worry, I know."

She raised her eye to look at him incredulously, then laughed,

"Not you; I know you know, I meant them!" She pointed towards Hidan and Yume. Yume giggled, knowing fine well Amaya would have meant it as an accident. She'd been madly and utterly in love with Itachi ever since the forming of Akatsuki five years ago. There was no way in hell she would have punched him and meant it. She would more likely run the rest of Akatsuki over with a combine-harvester on purpose than hurt Itachi. Hidan on the other hand, knowing the same, decided to make her feel bad. He smirked, looking towards Itachi,

"Obviously doesn't like you really. She'll be a money-grabber." Yume went to protest for her friend so he put his hand over her mouth, stroking her stomach gently with the other. Amaya, to put it bluntly, was seething. Hidan continued, "She's going to be one of these crazy bitches who beats up their boyfriends, I can see it now!" He pointed to Itachi's slightly crooked nose, "We have proof already as it is."

Itachi was laughing by now, having to hold onto Amaya with full force to stop her charging at Hidan with her base-ball bat (sitting only a few feet behind her, by the door).

"You son of a bitch!" She tried to get free of Itachi, only he lifted her up from the ground, letting her legs kick about madly, "I'm going to rip you to shreds, you dick-head! Yume, go pick out a nice plot at the cemetery!"

Hidan removed his hand from Yume's face, feeling her shaking with laughter. Amaya found this highly offensive,

"Woman, how could you? We're friends! What happened to 'chicks before dicks'?"

Yume had to hold herself up by taking both of Hidan's hands, feeling her legs giving way under her laughter. Amaya was literally kicking and screaming like a little child, and Itachi was holding onto her, laughing as much as the rest of them. After a second to compose herself and catch her breath, she turned and started to lead Hidan back up the stairs,

"Come on, we'd better get back to cleaning before Amaya beats you to death."

Hidan 'pfft' at her, demanding he could take her on any day, but followed behind willingly. As they left, Amaya suddenly stilled, realising what her friend had just said. She asked, still held in the air by Itachi,

"Cleaning? What are you cleaning?"

Yume turned, still holding Hidan's hands, with a wide grin on her face,

"Their old room."

Amaya stared at Yume, her eyes slowly growing wider; filling up with surprise. Her jaw slowly fell, her brain left shocked. Yume chuckled quietly, having been expecting this sort of reaction. Amaya unclasped Itachi's arms from around her, dropping to the floor with a tiny thud. She took a step forward, still looking up the staircase at her friend.

"Yume..." She took another step then, with her face quickly breaking into a grin she ran the short distance of the hallway and up the staircase, shoving Hidan's face into a wall so she could jump at Yume, her arms wrapping tightly around her, "Yume you smart-ass bitch!" She hugged her tighter, laughing, "Well done you fucking idiot!"

Yume winced at the bone-crushing hug, but she smiled and hugged Amaya back all the same. Amaya was so proud of her. She'd finally managed to get over it! It made Amaya ponder what had changed to make this happen so suddenly, but then, after seeing Hidan picking himself out of the wall and realising what she didn't want to, brushed it off and decided to put no further thought into it. All that mattered was it was all over. It was all over and-

"Hey, Amaya," Yume said, trying her best to get enough oxygen to talk, "You're getting my old room by the way." Had it been humanly possible Amaya would have exploded with happiness. She let out a high pitched, fan-girl-like shriek instead. She pulled back from Yume, bouncing on the balls of her feet,

"I'll make us some dinner to celebrate! What do you want?" She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, almost dancing with joy. Yume laughed, patting her friend on the shoulder,

"Whatever you want to make."

"FUCK YES- uhh, I mean- ah screw it, fuck yes!" She span on one foot and launched herself down the staircase, hitting about halfway when she landed. At the bottom Itachi took hold of her, making sure she had a safe landing then she said, gripping hold of his hand,

"Come on, you fit-ass bitch you, time to show you my kitchen!" With this, Itachi was swiftly pulled away, chuckling to himself.

Yume, back at the top of the staircase, turned when she saw Hidan walking towards her rubbing his nose. She walked up to him, laughing,

"Sorry about Amaya."

He pulled his hand away, revealing a grin,

"No matter how many times you apologise for that bitch, I'm still going to want to kill her." He reached forward and wrapped his hands around Yume's middle again, nuzzling his head into her neck. He took a deep inhalation of breath then gave out a long, satisfied sigh, smiling into Yume's shoulder, "Fuck I love you, Yume."

He didn't see her face flush as he pulled away and twisted her round, picking her up moments later to rest her feet on top of his. As he walked the pair of them down the hallway, back to the bedroom, Yume put her hands to her cheeks, feeling them as hot as a light-bulb. She smiled to herself, leaning back slightly into Hidan's chest.

"I love you too."

Hidan lifted Yume up in his arms, needing a leg to kick the door open. When it was safely parked against the opposite wall; barely having missed crashing into the window, Hidan smirked and put Yume back onto his feet, marching them over to the bed. Yume sighed,

"Did you have to kick the door in? I could have moved."

He bent down and kissed the top of her shoulder,

"It was old anyway. You can get a new one."

Yume rolled her eyes. Hidan stopped walking just short of the bed and let Yume hop off, then in one movement he grabbed her around the middle and jumped onto the bed, taking her with him. They landed next to each other, Yume laughing that they hadn't hurt themselves in any way in the process. Now resting next to her Hidan said, one eye open lazily,

"Can we please go to sleep _now_?"

Yume smiled, rolling over to look at the old bedside table where her phone was lying,

"We're about to have dinner." She felt Hidan's arms snaking around her middle.

"Come on. It's Amaya for fuck's sake. Dinner'll be ready in three hours." Well, he did have a point there. Three hours, and that wasn't taking into account that Itachi was here to distract her. Eh, they had plenty of time to sleep! It was probably a good thing anyway; they hadn't gotten in until very late in the morning because after prom everyone had had to stick around to file a report to the firemen about how the fire had started. Amaya's report had been very interesting to say the least.

Yume felt Hidan snuggling down behind her so she reached up and undid her apron, pulled it off and dropped it off the side of the bed. Just as she was about to pull back and snuggle down herself, a flicker from her phone made her pick it up instead. Curious, she flickered the screen into life, rolling over onto her back. The words '_47 New Messages_' made her eyes bulge. She clicked a few buttons then started to scroll through the lists of new texts. Some of them weren't even people in her contact list.

_'Well done! Xxx'_

_'Congrats on U & Hidan! U deserve each other!'_

_'Congratulations. S x'_

_'We all got lucky tonight, right? ;-) Xx' –_ that one was from Temari.

'_I wnt all da details wen we gt bck 2 skul!'_

_'Aww. You two will be so cute together!'_

_'Thank you for setting me and Tobi up :-) And congratulations for you and Hidan! Hope he makes you happy :-)'_

The rest of the texts seemed to follow the same pattern. Hidan, now reading over Yume's shoulder, said,

"Ah well. So long to keeping this low-key."

Yume nodded, still scanning through the messages. She came to one at the bottom of the list, reading the name Suigetsu. She laughed even before she'd opened it; '_What. The. Fuck. What happened last night? I woke up and Haku was laughing at me saying something about this guy called Gai. Who? My head hurts. Heard you hit it up with Hidan ;-) One of my best friends and my idol. Epic. Get me his autograph. Band practice tomorrow. Tour in 1 week today :-D. Love Sui' _When Yume read the last phrase her face fell.

"Oh no..."

Hidan, having read the text himself, rolled over and laughed half-heartedly,

"Fuck, yeah. I forgot you were going away for two months."

Yume nodded, putting the phone back on the side.

"Yeah. Two months..." She sighed, "It's a long time." She fell back onto the bed, looking at Hidan, "I'm so nervous now – all Suigetsu's fault!" She said, sticking her tongue out. He smirked back at her,

"Yeah, yeah, I'll kill him the next time I see him." He slipped his hand under Yume's shoulders and pulled her closer to him, "Though you shouldn't worry about going on tour. Hell, you're almost as famous as me now! It'll be no problem!"

"Hidan!" Yume said, smacking him in the chest with about as much aggression as a newborn lamb, "Don't be a big-head!"

He laughed loudly, pulling Yume closer so her head was against his chest,

"I'm not being a big-head if I'm stating fucking facts!" He felt a soft prod in the stomach, "Yeah, thanks for that."

Yume giggled. Hidan kissed her hair, stroking it softly with one hand as she started to feel herself drifting into sleep. She snuggled herself in closer, enjoying the warmth Hidan's body was giving her, and wrapped her arms around his middle. He was her new hot water-bottle. End of.

Feeling her start to settle down, Hidan let out a chuckle and made himself comfortable, shifting so that Yume was pressed more into his side.

Two months. That was a fucking long time. Fuck. He'd have to make sure she packed those damn birds of Deidara's before she went. No way was he was having her ambushed by fan-boys... or Kimimaro for that matter. That kid might have a new girlfriend, but as they say, what happens on tour stays on tour. Fuck that. He'd have to buy Yume a chastity-belt.

With this in mind, Hidan looked down, seeing Yume resting peacefully into his side, her eyes closed and her mouth slightly agape. He grinned that stupid grin again, cursing himself for doing it but he couldn't really help it, not really. He was happy and his mother-fucking face was trying its very best to show it. Ah well, Yume was almost asleep now and no one else was around. He could smile all the hell he wanted to!

He leaned down and kissed Yume's forehead, stroking her hair with the tips of his fingers, watching a tiny smile drift onto her lips.

"Don't worry about the tour, okay? You'll rock."

* * *

_And that was it. _

_Hope you enjoyed Rock Angel as much as I had fun writing it! I'd just like to say thank you so much to everyone who reviewed (and a big thanks to Luckydog10heart_ _who was my 100__th__ reviewer)! You've all been really great! I've got to say, it was a nightmare writing from three quarters into chapter 21 onwards because I just didn't want this story to end._

_Deidara__: I did. You were up until WHEN finishing this thing off, yeah?_

_Me__: E-he-he... that's not important...- anyway! The final pairing turned out to be Hidan x Yume! This was decided completely by YOU. It's a shame only a few of you voted this time around, but ah well, I just hope I managed to make the Hidan x Yume fans happy at least!_

_If you're as depressed as I am with this thing finishing (what? They're my favourite original characters! I'm allowed to miss them!) then have no fear! In the future (at some point) I will be doing a spin-off of the story; giving Amaya her own little series._

_Deidara__: … you never discussed this with me, yeah? Why are you doing this to your poor readers? NO ONE WANTS TO HAVE AMAYA IN HER OWN STORY, SHE'LL SEND THEM MAD!_

_Me__: (grins) Exactly! (turns to readers) so, like I said, sometime later on when I have a bit of time I'll start up Amaya's series so watch out for that – expect random antics from her!_

_(Takes deep breath) (told you it was going to be long ;D)_

_From me, Deidara and those few friends who gave me a hand with plot-lines and such, we want to say thank you for reading all the way through and we really REALLY hope you've enjoyed! As always reviews are more than welcome!_

_Deidara: You're making a big deal out of nothing, yeah..._

_Me: (Shocked) How can you say that? This was my début after all! (Turns to you, grinning with a tear in her eye) Until next time my friend!_

_Love,_

_X-Deidara's Lover-X_


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